Melissa's Idea Garden

I graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1988. I learned many useful things while in college. But as a Sociology major, one of the most important and lastingly helpful things I learned was to take every poll with a grain of salt.

As this very difficult election season heads towards its culmination, we are bombarded with poll statistics on every side. They mostly say Obama is in the lead, but the lead ranges from tenths of a point to 15 points. The percent of undecided seems to be between 6% and 10%. The thing that worries me about this bombardment of polls is that people are already believing Obama is the winner. They see he is ahead, and that is what they focus on. Then, should the undecided swing the way of McCain, or the votes don't go the way the polls are stating, there will be a cry of foul play! The vote has been fixed! Likewise if Obama were to win by a landslide, the same cries will be raised because of doubts already in place due to voter registration irregularities. Polls are really a detriment to the political process.

For those voters who want to say they voted for the winner, they will simply vote for whoever is in the lead. For those voters who don't want to have to check into the issues, who want someone else to do the hard work for them, they will also vote for whoever is in the lead based on the polls because they believe that person must be the best choice if most of the people are voting for them. I know we don't like to believe that people are so 'weak minded', but there are those that are and polls don't encourage them to gain information on their own.

Continue reading "Beware! Political Polls Don't Show the Whole Truth" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I am not a party voter. I have voted for Democrats, Republicans and even 'third party' candidates like Ross Perot. The way I roll is to vote for the person that I think will do the best job.

For instance, I am voting for John McCain and Sarah Palin. I don't think Obama has the country's best interests at heart. I think he is naive and is likely to make some very costly mistakes because of it. I would love to have a national health care plan, but that is not enough to make me vote for a man I just don't feel comfortable with having as President.

On the other hand, I had decided to vote for Mark Warner. I didn't want Mark Warner to be governor, but I felt like he did a good job when he was Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. He brought a lot of business into the state and helped areas of the state that had been hard hit economically as they tried to move from old standbys (like tobacco) into the new century. The last Saturday of September, I was working with Jack and Katrina at a youth fundraiser booth in Bedford for Centerfest. I looked up at a man who stopped by and was shaking hands with people in our booth, then I realized it was Mark Warner! How cool! He said something to me to the effect of 'are you trying to get people to stop by from both sides of the fence?' because I was wearing a McCain sticker and a Warner sticker. I talked with him and the reporters following him and explained that I voted on the person, not the party they were running with. Another gal in my booth said the same thing, though she wasn't voting for Warner.

Today, a gal sent a link to my homeschool email list regarding a political ad. First, that is a no-no on our list because we don't discuss politics or religion on our list. We keep things friendly. But, I know why she sent it. It was of importance to homeschoolers. I saw the title of the link and went to check it out. This video is what I found. As a homeschooler, a person of faith, and the daughter of a NRA member, I am appalled to see what Mark Warner really thinks of me.

Mr. Warner, you have lost my vote. I can only hope the word gets round to the other people like me in the Commonwealth as to what you really think. And Mr. Warner, in case you are at all concerned...I believe the very people that you say are threatening what it means to be an American are indeed the ones that are trying to keep America on the track that used to make it a beloved country around the world. And Mr. Warner, I have many homeschool friends that sit on both sides of the political spectrum. I cannot begin to imagine how they will feel that you have lumped them in with people that they are often opposed to.

Big foot in mouth moment, but thanks for your honesty. I would have hated to have voted for you and found out your opinions when it was too late.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

I watched the debate last night. Well, sort of. My dad called and talked to me during the beginning and I was listening but also trying to get caught up on some emails. It's hard to read and listen to something at the same time. But something struck me as I listened...Senator Obama called Senator McCain 'John' many times. I never heard Senator McCain call 'Barack'.

Now maybe I am a bit old school, but a Senator deserves the respect of having his title used. Senator Obama's frequent use of Senator McCain's first name seemed condescending to me.

What do you think?

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, I tried a new game for my DS this month. I got MYST. I have been toying with it the last couple of months, but let me tell you, I wish I had read some of the reviews out there before getting it. I had the game for PC years ago and never made much headway with it. I was intrigued by it, but had much more success with 7th Guest and 11th Hour.

Since it is on DS, I thought I would give it a whirl. Hey, maybe I am smarter now...maybe becasue the platform is now the DS, it has gotten easier...wrong on both counts.

If anything, the game has gotten harder. I am stuck in the first world I went to visit because even though I have my sounds lined up in proper order, the game refuses to recognize that! I even went online to a cheat site (which I try very hard not to do)...I put the game up last night, feeling more than a little bit disgusted with the whole thing. I will give it a couple of days and try again, but all of the reviews I read, said the same thing...the audio on the game is hard to understand and that is an important component of the game.

Moral of the story...LOOK FOR ONLINE REVIEWS BEFORE purchasing...you can often save yourself a lot of grief and money too:) Also, be sure to share your two cents about games, books, movies, etc. It helps people make better decisions.

I have written a second review of this game after playing around with it some more. Be sure to check it out before you make a decision.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 8:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Whew, that was a long title. Today, I was visiting the Drudge Report. If you have never visited this website, it is a neat place to go to get a variety of headlines from around the world. Anyway, today, Matt Drudge was running these two articles:

Scientists From Around the Globe Join ABC News in a Forum on Surviving the Century

Global Warming and the Price of a Gallon of Gas

The first article is about an upcoming ABC 2 hour special designed to show us what the doomsayers are showing our next 100 years are going to be like.

The second article is a scathing attack on the global warming hysteria and the fact that there are way more scientists saying it is bull, than there are that is saying it is the gospel truth. According to the second article, we are causing a lot of our own problems by jumping onto the global warming band wagon.

Continue reading "Global Warming - Political Hysteria or Have Are The Skeptics Falling into the Peter and the Wolf Trap?" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Today I was reading an article in Good Housekeeping about a mom whose son was constantly encouraging her to decrease their families carbon footprint. This mom drives a VW bug and keeps her house at a chilly 62 degrees in the winter time. She recycles. She turns off lights when she leaves the room. But when she went to the carbon calculator it informed her that she was using 12 tons more carbon a year than the average family in the United States.

I wanted to get my own number. I have to say, I was surprised. As you know I was gifted with a SUV this year, not exactly friendly to the environment, but it was a most wonderful gift. My number showed that we are only 6 tons over the national average.

Now, my gripe with this little calculator is this....

Continue reading "ClimateCrisis.net Needs A Better Carbon Calculator" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 7:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Dear Ms. Sarandon,

I was recently surfing the web and ran across an article that said:

SUSAN SARANDON, who appeared in three films last year and won kudos for her TV movie "Bernard and Doris," is still not a contented soul. She says if John McCain gets elected, she will move to Italy or Canada. She adds, "It's a critical time, but I have faith in the American people."

OK, American people. You don't want Susan to move out of the country, so it's up to you to elect Barack Obama. What? You thought Susan of all people would be for Hillary Clinton? Well, no. She told John Hiscock: "I thought the whole point of feminism is that you're not supposed to be defined by gender. I don't understand the reasoning behind that, because I wouldn't vote for Condoleezza Rice, and I hated Margaret Thatcher."

I would like to respectfully offer my services to help you move from America. And I would respectfully suggest that you move sooner rather than later. I mean...why wait? If you are unhappy with the way things are here and you have no more belief in America than this, just go. Because quite honestly, you aren't that important and we really don't need you here spouting off how unpatriotic you are.

Continue reading "Dear Susan Sarandon" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My husband and I support the fact that our troops are in Afghanistan and Iraq. We feel it is a necessity and as a Marine veteran, Daniel and I both believe that people who join the Armed Forces do it knowing what the potential is for them ending up fighting and making the ultimate sacrifice. It is not an easy thing, but we demean the men and women in the armed services when we talk about how their lives are being wasted.

So Daniel emailed me a link today that contained a video made by a soldier in Afghanistan. We don't often see this kind of thing on the news. They all focus on the horrors, but do not share the triumphs or many stories about how the soldiers feel about what they are doing. I always felt that it was best to get that type of information straight from the horses mouth. Wouldn't it paint a different picture for us if we had more balanced news in front of us?

Posted by Melissa Markham at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Miley Cyrus, whose show Hannah Montana is a staple in our household, has found herself in the news again. This time it is for a photo that will be appearing on the cover of the next edition of Vanity Fair. Now, there is nothing that Miley is showing in this photo that we wouldn't see if she were in a bathing suit or backless dress. But at the same time, this is a young lady that children ages 6-16 admire. They want to dress like her, look like her, be her. I have watched her show and I have admired the fact that Billy Ray and his wife, Tish, have been doing a good job of trying to raise Miley to be as down to earth as they can inspite of her stardom.

But, I can't help wonder what everyone was thinking when they allowed Miley to pose this way. As I said, she is not revealing anything, but the suggestiveness of the pose is not something appropriate for a fifteen year old girl, nor or is this appropriate for a young girl who is a role model to millions of children.

I worry about where Miley will go in the future. I don't want to see her follow the paths of so many recent female stars (like Britney Spears). I know we all make mistakes and Miley says this was one and she has learned from it. If so, bravo for her. If this is a publicity stunt or a way to start moving Miley towards a different audience, then shame on them for losing sight of the audience that they already have a responsibility for.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 5:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

My hubby sent me the link to this article this morning and I wanted to pass it on.

I don't talk a lot on my blog about homeschooling. I am passionately committed to it, but I also believe we all have different viewpoints as to the value of homeschooling versus public schooling and as to the value of the different types of homeschooling that are out there. I hang out with people who range from unschoolers to people who use a complete curriculum and classroom desks. We are in the middle somewhere.

I am deeply disturbed that what was a given a hundred and fifty years ago (education taking place in the home) is now questioned. I understand that there are parents that abuse their children or who aren't competent, but that has always been the case. There are parents of children in the school system that abuse their children and are competent in regards to bringing up a child. And those children are not always found out just because they are in the public system.

Our government was created on the principals that we are to be ruled by the people. The people are supposed to be in charge, but we seem to be willing to hand over more and more of our freedoms to a bureaucracy that doesn't always have our best interests at heart. And I think we do this because we are lazy. It is easier to let someone else settle these matters than put forth the efforts ourselves.

I hope that things will even out in California as the rest of the country has a tendency to look to Californians as leaders. But if things go against homeschoolers in California, the rest of us have a duty to speak up and to make sure our rights as parents are not trampled on.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I was lucky growing up. At least, I guess it was part luck, and perhaps it was part of me being who I am. I never ever smoked a cigarette. I didn't ever drink too much until I reached college, and then only on a few occasions and I never was approached by anyone offering me illegal drugs, nor did I have a desire to seek them out.

I had a grandmother who was virtually a chain smoker. I hated the way it smelled, the way the nicotine yellowed her fingers and her teeth and the way everything about her smelled of cigarettes. My parents always told me that if I wanted to try a cigarette, they would go out and buy me a pack and let me light up. I never had any desire to take them up on their offer (that tactic doesn't work with all children, but it worked with me...that and my natural aversion to the stuff).

Continue reading "Addiction...a Growing Problem" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I have a question...why is it that when we buy a man pants, the pants have two sizes...the waist and the length, but when we buy women's pants, we find no such ease of purchase!

We can buy petit, average and tall to be sure, but why aren't pants offered to us via the inseams like they are for men? I mean for men you can get pants of lengths 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, etc. Why must we be bound to have pants of the wrong lengths so that we have to hem them to get them to fit?

Women, unite! Complain! Make your voice heard! We deserve to be able to shop just as easily as men do for proper fitting pants!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday, I visited Barbara Frank's blog and found a very interesting article there on the Gloomy Stats about Colleges and Jobs. Before you read my piece further, I encourage you to read what she has to say. She has some great stats and comments that will make a jumping off place for this post. Go ahead, click. A new window will open up and then you can come back here when you are done. Don't worry, I'll wait.

There, are you back now? Are you depressed now? Have you had in the back of your mind that college is the way for your children to achieve the American dream? Don't be depressed, you have just gained a great advantage, you have been told that there are other options. That you don't have to spend the family fortune or push your children deep into debt for a degree that may not be anything more than a lovely piece of paper for the living room wall and experience in the latest drinking games.

Now, don't get me wrong, I went to College. The College of William and Mary to be exact. I was the first person on my father's side of the family to attend college and graduate with a four year degree. I had known my whole childhood that I would be going to college. I am an only child and my parents worked hard to put me through college. I worked in college but it was for extra money and when I left college, we owed about $10,000 (which was 1/2 the cost of my stay in college). I treasure the time I spent at William and Mary. I learned a lot about life there, was able to learn independence within a protected setting and I have a really great degree in Latin to hang on my wall.

Continue reading "Is A College Education The Way to A Successful Future?" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday, my husband sent me a link to an article on why a school banned legos. This article came from Rethinking Schools Online and I will warn you, it is a very long article.

Basically, it is about an afterschool program. The children started building lego town. They would bargain for pieces, they built a variety of buildings, and they became possessive. The town stayed up for several weeks and the teachers noted that other children were being rebuffed. They were told they couldn't play with the Legotown because it belonged to the kids who had been working on it. Apparently, instead of complaining to the teachers or instead of the teachers stepping in (as they obviously saw what was going on), the kids who weren't allowed to play with the Legos acted like they didn't really want to play anyway.

This continued until an unforeseen tragedy occured(and I can't help but wonder how long it would have continued. It seems to me the teachers were using these kids as part of an experiment.) Anyway, the accident was some other children from church were allowed into the room to play and Legotown was destroyed (much as if Godzilla had come through).

Continue reading "Why A School Banned Legos..." »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 8:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

No, that is not a misspelling, nor is it someone who goes out and catches fish! A phisher is a person who tries to entice you to clicking on a button so they can get more information from you and eventually get money or some other thing from you.

Ever since I have started selling on eBay, I get bogus emails. Some looke like they came from eBay, some look like they came from Paypal. But all it takes is a bit of common sense on your part to know the difference.

For instance, today I got an phishing email from an eBay member. This member was telling me that they had paid me two weeks ago, that I had better respond or else they would be contacting eBay, paypal, and the police. Now, my first tip on this was that I hadn't sold anything on eBay in the last few weeks, but let's say I was doing a booming business on there....my next tip that this was bogus was the information I saw when I scrolled down...

Apparently, I had sold this person a small island in the South Pacific! Dang, if I had a small island in the South Pacific, I would be living on it, not selling it! It makes me shake my head sadly over these stupid things. I mean, if you really want to phish someone, why not take the time to find out what they sell so they might do a double take.

Continue reading "Beware of Phishers" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 5:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

During Bloggy Giveaways I won this beautiful Bible tote bag from Elaine at Inspirational Christian Stories, Poems, Gifts

This beautiful and durable bag arrvied yesterday and I am so excited. I am currently filling in at my church's Awanas group for a gal who is out having a baby and this tote will be perfect for carrying my Awanas items in.

Elaine is a work at home mom who is in the business of helping others to spread inspiration. Think about it, when you give a friend a gift with a bible verse on it or you carry a purse with scripture on it or drink from an inspirational coffee cup at work, you are opening up the way to witness to others. I would encourage you to support a WAHM and to increase your role in spreading the Good News by shopping at Elaine's Inspirational Gift Gallery.

Remember, while we all may wear our crosses to church on Sunday and carry our inspirational bible covers to church, it is important to show those signs of our belief in our everyday life. So if someone has a question, we are a beacon to invite them to learn more about our Savior. If we don't have any outward appearance of our belief, then we lose that opportunity to reach out to others who might otherwise approach us.

God bless!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I know most, if not all of us were astounded to learn of Heath Ledger's passing this week. His wasn't a name I ever heard link with drugs or other types of misbehavior so prevalent among today's stars.

I haven't seen all of Mr. Ledger's films. Of those I did see, his part in 10 Things I Hate About You was probably my favorite. It was a neat role and he was a handsome leading man with a lot of charisma.

I was shocked and saddened when I heard that his life had been cut so drastically short and I can only imagine the pain that his family and loved ones are experiencing.

I am angry with the media. The media has gotten to the point where they rush to the scene, jump to conclusions and make ridiculous statements all in the name of 'journalism'. If I were part of Mr. Ledger's family, I would be seriously considering lawsuits.

Continue reading "Heath Ledger - The Media Shame" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 3:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Hey all, if you have vistied my friend Laura in the past, you will know that she has awesome contest posts! Everyday, she provides links to contests all over the blogosphere. I have won a bunch of stuff because I read her contest post every day and enter several a day. She also provides recipes, product reviews, and just bits of life posts.

Well Blogger, owned by Google, has tagged her as a spam blog and has locked her out of her blog. She can't post new entries. But she has found a way around this dilemma. If you want to check out her blog for the first time or if you are a regular, you will find she has her posts up and running, but they are not being picked up via RSS or email fees.

So, go over to Laura's, get your contest fix and show your support!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday my daughter wanted to go to Walmart. She had some money left from Christmas gifts and she wanted to get a Hans Solo action figure (as Star Wars is her newest obsession). Well, it took us some time to find a Hans Solo figure. There were only two left and they were on an end cap instead of their regular spot. Hans came with Chewbacca as well. She paid 11.00 for the two and happily left the store. Within an hour, the head of Hans had come lose from the figure. She has been able to put it back on and it stays (except when she puts on his Storm Trooper disguise and then goes to take off the helmet.

Now, I know $11.00 isn't a huge amount of money, but it is enough money to expect to receive a toy that will hold up more than a couple of hours! And this isn't our first unhappiness with action figures. When Pirates of the Caribbean were the favorite action figures, we have Barbossa, Jack Sparrow, Will, Elizabeth, Bootstrap Bill and Davy Jones. All of them, except Elizabeth who is the newest acquisition, have missing body parts. Now my kids have played with them a lot, but not in such a way that their body parts should ahve been falling off in the first week of purchase.

Don't companies test these toys for their hold togetherness anymore? Isn't the purpose of an action figure to be played with? Shouldn't the manufacturers expect these toys to hold up to play? Is anyone else disgruntled with the poor products we are being sold?

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

My grandmother was diagnosed with cancer Christmas of 1992. She was only 66 years old. That was her last Christmas with us. Over the next 11 months, she underwent chemotherapy for lung cancer. She wanted to remain in her apartment and she lived 3 hours away from her only child and grandchild (mom and me). One of my mom's cousins was able to take her to therapy and my mom and Jim went to visit just about every weekend. For awhile, the chemo seemed to knock by the cancer but with it came horrible side effects that made my grandmother miserable. Food, one of her greatest joys, all tasted bad. Her nails grew too thick for her to care for properly and her hair fell out. My grandmother had always prided herself in her appearance and this was a double blow for her. The cancer was only held at bay for awhile. In September of 1993, it advanced and she ended up in the hospital. The cancer had spread to her brain, her spine, and her thorax. She was not able to return home and Mom began to look for a care environment for her.

We found a nursing home that seemed good, but in the end turned out to be sadly lacking. They certainly could have benefitted from new products such as assisted living software which would have helped them to keep track of schedules and provide better care. Instead, my grandmother was not moved as she should have been so she developed horrible bed sores.

Continue reading "Assisted Living - Improving?" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 8:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Now this is an interesting idea! A man in California saved every piece of trash (except for food scraps as he composts those) that he generated in the last year and has them stored in bins in his apartment. The article says that he saved every tissue, bottle, scrap of paper that he used and that he hopes an artist will use it as some kind of art.

First I would like to commend him for only using that much trash! If I kept our trash for a year, then our house would be covered in trash bags, I feel pretty sure. I wonder about a couple of things. He kept every tissue...does that mean the ones he blew his nose on? Does that include what every paper products he used in the bathroom? Or how about napkins and paper towels. Forgive me, but that all seems like it would be pretty darn disgusting!

Also, he says he kept plastic bottles, but what about recycling? We, I am ashamed to say, generate large amounts of trash. We compost our food. We recycle mixed paper. We haven't yet returned to recycling plastic, cans or glass because 1) in the country you have to go a bit out of you way to do that and 2) I don't have the space to store three more recycling containers.

So how about you? Could you keep a year's worth of trash in bins in your home, would that hold it all and would there be room left for you?

Posted by Melissa Markham at 7:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

MSNBC is reporting that Germany Security Leaders are trying to ban Scientology. They believe that the goals of Church of Scientology are be in conflict with the principles of the nation’s constitution and they will seek to ban the organization.

Germany has had Scientologist under surveillance for over 10 years.

The Scientologists have long battled to end the surveillance, saying it is an abuse of their right to freedom of religion. They point to several lower court rulings in favor of their right to practice in Germany as a religious organization.

The U.S. State Department regularly criticizes Germany in its annual Human Rights Report for the monitoring practice.

The interior ministers gave no specific examples for their decision, but the most recent annual report on extremism compiled by their agencies criticized the organization for disregarding human rights.

“From a number of sources, some of them not available to the public, it has been determined that (the organization) seeks to limit or rescind basic and human rights, such as the right to develop one’s personality and the right to be treated equally,” the report said.

Continue reading "German Leaders are Trying to Ban Scientology" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 4:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

MSNBC is reporting how a gas station clerk's error cost a business owner 1,734.56 in less than two hours. When changing the gas pump prices, the clerk mistakenly left of the final number '9' in the price (3.299) so the pump read the price as .33/gallon). The error went unnoticed by the clerks, but not by customers. And word spread quickly. No one bothered to let the store employees know, and in fact, even after the store was closed, people were lining up at the pump two cars deep to use their credit cards on this great deal.

The police noticed the commotion and called the store owner who came and pushed the emergency stop button. She couldn't believe how many dishonest people were taking advantage of the mistake.

So what do you think? Were these people dishonest and greedy? What should they have done? What would you have done?

I have a good friend who owns a convenience store and she has told me how little she makes off of a gallon of gas. So basically that 1734.56 is going to come out of the pocket of the store owner unless there is some kind of insurance that covers human error. Can you imagine if you lost that kind of money in less than 2 hours because of a mistake?

The first person who noticed their good fortune (and maybe they didn't notice it until they were done pumping and pay up time came), should have gone to the clerk and said...hey, something's not right here. Just like everyone else, I struggle with the rising gas prices, but as a good citizen, when I note an honest mistake, the thing to do is to tell someone in charge, not phone a few of my friends. And perhaps, that first person would have been given their gas at the incorrect price as a reward for pointing out the error, perhaps not, but the reward isn't the point, doing the right thing is.

Since most of these people seem to have paid with credit cards, I can't help but wonder if the law won't be catching up with them. There will be a record of their purchases after all. But then that was the price on the pump, so there may be nothing that can be done. Maybe some will have a bout of guilty conscience and come in and offer to make it right to the store owner. One can only hope.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Some people get new cars every few years. More people are like us, I think. They drive a car until it simply won't drive anymore! We have gotten rid of several cars over the years. They were too worn out and tired to sell. We could have paid to have them towed to the junk yard, but we found a better resource for our old cars. Now when we have an old car that isn't worth reselling either because it is broken or because it would cost more to pay for the ads to sell it than we could get for it, we know we have another option. An option that saves us money on our taxes. An option that helps others. An option that is easy and doesn't cost us money for disposal.

Car Angel will be happy to help you with your car donation. You may either call them or go online and fill out your information and they will contact you. They will handle all the details of towing (if necessary to be towed) and title transfers. They use these cars to help raise money for a variety of worthwhile programs. Car Angel Ministries creates Children's DVDs, Anti-drug Movies & prison literatureso that the generation growing up will have the same values that have made America great. They have given away over 2.4 million videos. They are a non-profit organization who is working for the betterment of people.

Here is the link to part of one of the videos they have made. Donkey Ollie is a Christian Children's Animation.

So before you pay to have your car towed away or before you pay for expensive ads and sit around waiting for the phone to ring, contact Car Angel and see if they would be interested in your automobile. Help someone else by sharing the automobile you no longer want.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last week, I was one of the lucky ones who was sent a free copy of Michael W. Smith's newest CD. We love Christmas music in our house and own over 20 Christmas CDs. My favorite radio station started playing Christmas music 24/7 last week and will do so until the day after Christmas. I couldn't wait to received a new sampling of Christmas music to add to our collection.

Tonight, as I wrapped up some gifts, I listened to the CD. It is beautiful! One of the things I really like about it is the variety. All of the songs are different. I know, you are saying, of course they are different...wouldn't be much of a CD with 11 of the same songs on it... Well, that's not what I mean. I mean, there are different types of songs an different types of instruments. There is pretty much something for everyone on this Christmas disc.

What I enjoyed about the CD was that I slowed down. Since it was a new CD, I took my time wrapping presents and slowed down and thought what Christmas means to me. The things about Christmas that are important and the things that are not. I put aside my worries for awhile and was swept away by the various songs. Christmas music is one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. Singing and listening to old favorites and learning new favorites brings great joy to my family.

During the holidays its never easy to find gifts for people. Being able to get Christmas baskets online is a convenience. When you can get unique gift baskets such as chocolate gift baskets its easy to getting that gift at christmas for a special someone.

Continue reading "Christmas CD - Michael W. Smith: It's a Wonderful Christmas" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 7:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here it is the morning of Thanksgiving. My pies are made. My turkey is in the oven and I am having the inevitable thoughts of how I am going to lose the weight I am going to gain in the weeks ahead (never mind the fact that it would be easier not to gain the weight to begin with...that's a whole different post!)

I wish there was some type of Miracle burn. You know a pill I could take and instantly the fat would dissolve overnight and I would be the skinny person that is inside of me dying to get out. But, since that hasn't been invented yet, there is always the struggle over which diet to choose.

I honestly believe Weight Watchers or any sensible eating plan is the way to go. Diet pills can help with the process. But in the end it boils down to sensible eating. The problem is that with all the enticing foods out there, most of us don't want to eat sensibly. We want to be able to eat as much of those tasty dishes as we can and still be skinny too!

So, as you are looking ahead at a month full of parties and goodies, consider this...first, try to contain yourself (this is advice to myself but if it helps you, that's even better). If you don't gain it, then you don't have to lose it in January. But if that fails there are two sure fire things you can do to help you lose weight....eat less and exercise more!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 7:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Childhood is a time for magic. Children grow up so quickly nowadays. The reality of the world is thrust upon them on a daily basis. I think it is important to help them to enjoy the innocence and magic childhood has to offer for as long as possible. I debate this with myself yearly. After all, I don't want my children to feel lied to. But I have such fond memories of Christmas magic when I was a child, that I decided it was important for me to pass on to my children a taste of that same magic.

When I think back to my growing up years, I remember the joy of leaving cookies and milk out for Santa, the belief that I knew I heard those prancing and pawing hooves on my roof, and the delight when the next morning would find the milk and cookies devoured and presents left under the tree.

When I turned 6, I lost my two front teeth on Christmas Eve. Imagine my happiness to find money under my pillow on Christmas Day and presents under the tree. Remember my surprise when I noticed a square piece of foil...the same one that I had left under my pillow the night before for the tooth fairy! We quickly determined that Santa and the Tooth Fairy must have been at my house at the same time! (And I missed it!) They probably got to talking. I am sure Santa shared some of his milk and cookies (what a treat for the tooth fairy) and in the joy of their meeting, the tooth fairy forgot my teeth. I left them under my pillow again for her that night and she rewarded me with two more quarters. What a year that was!

Continue reading "Christmas Memories...Arrange for a Magical Phone Call From Santa" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Our children are more plugged into the world than ever before. They have computers, iPods, greater television access and video games. Even the video games enable kids to get on the web and interact with people around the world. It used to be that you felt like you had more control over what information your children had access to. It seems like it is impossible to keep them in an 'innocent' stage these days. But the truth is you have the ability to be more in control than ever before.

TV's, Computers, and the newest generation of video game consoles have built in parental controls. What, you are not sure how to activate these controls? You can't find the directions? No worries! The ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) can help! Just click on the link belove and you will be directed to a website that will provide step by step directions on how you can activate the parental controls on Microsoft XBox 360, Microsoft Windows Vista, Nintendo Wii, and Sony Playstation. You won't have to worry anymore about what they may be doing because you will be in the driver's seat.

Another way that you can control what your children are playing is by being alert to ESRB ratings on the games you buy and what these ratings mean.

Continue reading "ESRB - What Does It Mean? How Can It Help You?" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I take voting very seriously. I have never missed a major election and haven't missed many of the 'minor' ones. I have tried to instill the importance of voting in my children. So much so, in fact, that I spent an hour during the last presidential election getting my oldest stepson to vote(his car was broken) even though he was going to vote for 'the other guy.'

A dear friend of mine and I sit on the opposite sides of the political fence. We don't talk about politics too much because we don't want it to harm our friendship. But there are some things we agree on and that is that every single vote counts.

The other day she passed me a couple of articles that I want to share with you. There is still plenty of time for you to get out and vote today! If you aren't registered, make it a top priority this coming year. We are so blessed to live in a country where we can vote for candidates. It is appalling how many people throw that priviledge and right away. Other citizens around the world are dying to have what we take for granted.

Continue reading "Reasons to Vote" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

At the risk that some people may hurl insults at me, I am sharing this interesting news story. By using 1,677 digital pictures that give high resolution images of DaVinci's Last Supper, there is no sign of facial hair on the Apostle John/Mary Magadalene. The images are clear enough that it looks as it would if you were standing only a few inches away from the painting. And it is helping to provide an image of the painting before it deteriorates any further in the polluted air of Milan. The resolution is so amazing that you can even see peacocks painted on the table cloth. I never knew they were there. Did you?

Anyway...I don't have a problem with the possibility that Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married. It would make more sense for him to be married than not, given that day and age. And did not God send Jesus to experience life as a human? Being married would certainly be part of that. And it would make Jesus' sacrifice even more amazing. I can also see the disciples wiping out all records of Jesus' family to protect them because the people of the time had a mentality that if you were offended by someone or found them to be bad, you wiped out the whole family.

The possibility of Mary Magdalene doesn't change my faith that Jesus is my savior, it just means there is more to the story that I don't know. It would just go in the category of things to be explained when I sit at Jesus' feet. I have so many questions. Thank goodness, I will have an eternity to get the answers.

Hat tip: National Geographic

Posted by Melissa Markham at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I received a free sample of Curel Ultra Healing Lotion from Walmart last week. I love the Walmart free samples page because it gives me a chance to check out a product without buying the whole thing.

I have dry skin and in the winter I suffer even more. Usually once or twice a winter my fingers will crack and bleed. My husband fusses about my 'crusty' feet and I hate my 'rusty' elbows and knees. My hands would never pass a dove commercial, they lines in them are already pronounced. So I am always looking for a lotion to help with my issues.

I tried the Curel-ultra healing lotion. The brochure I received said that it can't help but be drawn to dry skin. Its dermatologist-teste formula contains a positive charge that is attracted to dry skin's negative charge, giving you the right amount of moisture right where you need it. It penetrates deeper for complete all-over comfort without that greasy feel. It also claims to heal dry skin 5X better than Eucerin Original Moisturizing Creme in just one use. And it is supposed to last for 24 hours!

So I gave it a whirl and I have to say, it seems to be everything it claims. My skin felt silky, not just for 24 hours, but for about 36 hours. Unfortunately, I only had enough for one application, but I liked it enough, that I will be adding it to my shopping cart in the near future! Thanks, Curel!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I was up with the chickens again this week. I didn't plan to get up quite as early, but I left my alarm set to wake me up at 5:00 (which is the time I got up for the yardsale last week). I didn't want to get up until 6:00, but that's just the way it goes. Since it was midnight when I went to sleep, I was a wee bit tired, but a shower woke me up. I did some work, then headed to town to help out with the 4-H bake sale we were doing today. I had made brownies and cookies. I was in charge of bringing tables and I brought signs with prices and I brought a chair to sit in. I didn't bring children, That was my one mistake. I was envisioning four hours of boredom and my daughter, in particular, moaning about when were we going to go home and couldn't I buy her something. I also wasn't sure any of the other moms were going to bring their kids (I should have asked, but it just didn't occur to me...too many other things on my mind right now).

So we went and got set up. We had brownies, peanut butter cookies, 1/2 a lemon pound cake, 4 loaves of bread, cupcakes, muffins, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter granola bars, and bags of popcorn. We started selling at approximately 9:00 a.m. and sold until 1 p.m. We had signs up that we were selling baked goods to raise money so we could send soldiers in Iraq and Kuwait care packages. We explained to people that we would be sending the care packages to unit leaders who would then pass out the items to those soldiers who didn't get much if anything from home. People opened their hearts and their wallets.

Continue reading "An Awesome Day" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We live in a culture where everyone seems to want to blame someone or something