CatHouse Chat

OK how goofy can they be? (VERY!)

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The Munchkin and her BFF playing Queen of the Mountain

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Yeah, so... How's that "stimulus" working for you?

The unemployment rate has surpassed 10 percent for the first time since 1983 - and is likely to go higher.

Nearly 16 million people can’t find jobs even though the worst recession since the Great Depression has apparently ended. The Labor Department said Friday that the economy shed a net total of 190,000 jobs in October, less than the downwardly revised 219,000 lost in September. August job losses were also revised lower, to 154,000 from 201,000.

But the loss of jobs last month exceeded economists’ estimates. It’s the 22nd straight month the U.S. economy has shed jobs, the longest on records dating back 70 years.

via www2.godanriver.com

Not very well, huh?

For Ft. Hood...

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:1-4,ESV)

Cass at Villainous Company posted this video to mourn the terrible tragedy of the Ft. Hood killings today, and it moved me to remember God's promises and His love for us:

May God bless them and keep them, may He cause His face to shine upon them, and bring them peace. May He lift up their faces and turn their mourning into dancing. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

For we do not grieve as those who have no hope; we know to Whom we have entrusted our souls, and we have faith that He is able to work all things for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. He has begun a good work in us, and He will complete it. It is His power that works within us so that we may so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.

He is Father to the fatherless, and Husband to the widow. He watches over and cherishes the orphans. He leads us through the valley of the shadow of death, yet we fear no evil, for He is with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us; He is with us always, even to the end of the age.

He is our Rock and our Savior. Thousands may fall by our side, and ten thousand before us, yet we will not fear. He is the perfect Judge and will execute righteousness upon the earth.

We dwell in the shadow of the Almighty - He is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in time of trouble. We place our full trust and faith in Him, and He will direct our paths. We rejoice in God our Savior, the Living God, who loves us and gave Himself for us.

The Lord is a warrior; our enemies will stumble and fail, they will be dishonored and shamed. The Lord of Hosts is a mighty man of valor; none can withstand His wrath and none can deny His rule. His will shall be done, in earth as it is in Heaven.

Our Savior pours out His lovingkindness upon His people. His Spirit of comfort dwells within us and makes us cry out to our Father. He gives us life and freedom; His power upholds all creation and He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. All the earth is filled with His glory, and the heavens proclaim His name. He blesses us from the heavens in accordance to all His riches, and there is no good thing that He will withhold from those who call upon His name.

He knows our end from our beginning, and His hands formed us in our mothers' womb. There is no place we can flee from His presence; even if we descend to the depths of Hell, behold He is there. He has made us a little lower than angels, yet we will one day judge them as we sit at His right hand. He has ransomed us and purchased us and has clothed us in His glorious righteousness, so we may worship Him in spirit and in truth.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

    "For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
   we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39, ESV)

Amen, and amen. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away: blessed be the Name of the Lord.

Prayers going out to Ft. Hood!

A shooting rampage Thursday afternoon at the Army's Fort Hood in Texas killed 11 and wounded 31 before the gunman was killed and two suspects taken into custody.

All three of the people believed to have carried out the shooting were soldiers, Lt. General Bob Cone told reporters Thursday evening, though the motive remains unclear.

AP cites an unnamed source saying the gunman was Major Malik Nadal Hasan, though authorities have not publicly identified him.

via www.foxnews.com

May God comfort and strengthen them, may the truth be revealed quickly that the guilty may be punished. May the families and friends of those who were murdered be blessed with loving help from all around so their hearts may be eased.

I'm also rather concerned with the extremely quick assertion by the FBI that this wasn't>/em> an act of terrorism...

"The Warrior Song" - supporting the Armed Forces Relief Trust

I highly recommend this song - it rocks, it rolls, it marches, and it's a militant tribute to the Warriors of our Armed Forces! ALL proceeds from sales on iTunes (after iTunes takes their cut) will go to the Armed Forces Relief Trust:

The mission of the Armed Forces Relief Trust is to assist the military aid societies by providing a single vehicle to accept donations that will benefit the men and women of our Armed Forces and their families. Examples of such assistance may include payment for a soldier's airfare to fly home for his father's funeral, a special reading program for a sailor's daughter, special medical attention for a pilot's expectant spouse, or college tuition for a soldier's child.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far away, I offered my time and services to Navy-Marine Corps Relief, and it was very worthwhile. Honoring and serving those who serve and  protect us should be the joyful duty of each and every citizen of these United States!

So, play the song (here are the lyrics), and get ready to cheer for our Armed Forces!

The Real Santa Claus

I love our Marines - and I love commercials like this!

I truly believe, without a shadow of a doubt, that this is the real image of all our men and women in uniform: tough, dedicated, honorable, courageous - and also tender, protective and giving.

Right now, Project Valour-IT, created and sponsored by Soldiers' Angels is going on in the blogosphere:

Project Valour-IT helps provide voice-controlled/adaptive laptop computers and other technology to support Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand wounds and other severe injuries. Items supplied include

Voice-controlled Laptops - speaking into a microphone or using other adaptive technologies, they allow the wounded to maintain connections with the rest of the world during recovery.

Wii Video Game Systems - Whole-body game systems increase motivation and speed recovery when used under the guidance of physical therapists in therapy sessions (donated only to medical facilities)

Personal GPS - Handheld GPS devices build self-confidence and independence by compensating for short-term memory loss and organizational challenges related to severe TBI and severe PTSD.

Cassandra is leading for the Marines, USNI Blog sails for the Navy, the Mudville Gazette flies for the Air Force, and BlackFive humps for the Army - I would ask my readers to please go to any one of these worthy blogs and offer your support to this magnificent cause. All money is pooled and goes to those most in need without regard to their branch of service; the fund raiser is simply a "friendly" (HAH!) competition between the services to see who can raise the most for this charity. Competition ends on November 11th, but donations are always accepted on behalf of our men and women in uniform.

Please return the devotion our troops give to us: donate generously!

The commercial, of course, doesn't have anything to do with Project Valour-IT; it promotes the Marine Corps' annual Christmas Charity, Toys for Tots.

So many families, especially in this time of economic trouble and unemployment, do not have the resources to bring the joy of giving to their children. The Toys for Tots program is a way that you can help - and it's sponsored by those tough, gritty Marines who stand on the front line every day in defense of our country. These men and women, feared and hated by the bad guys of the world (and with good reason!), open their hearts to the most vulnerable of us all: children in need.

A truly valorous heart is courageous, dedicated, persistent, honorable, compassionate, and loving. The men and women who wear the uniforms of our Armed Services are excellent examples of valor, and we are all blessed by their selfless service.

Please join with them to serve the children and their wounded brethren. Let them know that we honor them as our brothers and sisters and that we care about the things they cherish.

Ford makes me proud! $1 Billion profit - wooooohooo!

Ford, the only Detroit automaker to dodge direct government aid and bankruptcy court, surprised investors with net income of nearly $1 billion in the third quarter and forecast a "solidly profitable" 2011.

via www.foxnews.com

And, of course, Ford is the only one of the "Big Three" automakers that didn't take taxpayers' money from the massive and unconstitutional bailout.

I remember when I was growing up that my parents didn't like Ford cars - I never knew why. But about 12 years ago, my husband bought a used Ford F150 that he upgraded to a 1993 F250 a couple of years later (we needed the towing power for our RV). We still have that, but he's currently driving a 2001 F250 - and I'm driving an '03 Explorer.

We love our Fords! I was driving a 1996 Chrysler Concorde Lxi that I enjoyed until it suffered an electrical fire with about 75k miles on it. I remember wondering idly at around 60k miles on her odometer what my next car would be. I wanted an SUV, and I seriously considered the Dodge Durango, because I'd received such stellar service at Chrysler.

But when my Concorde burned in 2003, the Dodge salesman really pissed me off ("Oh, no, little lady, you don't really want the top of the line, all the bells and whistles version of the Durango, this 4 cylinder stripped down version that's been on my lot for two months will suit you juuuuuust fine!" PFFT!) and we had friends who worked at Ford. So, we got the discount and a six year 0% interest loan on my 2003 Eddie Bauer V8 Explorer, and I'm just delighted with her! She's got 110k miles on her, and I have no intention of giving her up before 200k, minimum!

So HOORAY for Ford, and I pray that the leadership there continues to revamp the brand into the glorious, solid, value-packed and exciting cars that America is very capable of building... Hey, they finally got the Mustang right again, so I have high hopes!

Happy Halloween!

THIS is how "the Lost Get Found," Christian!

Britt Nicole just went out and opened her eyes and looked to see who God had placed in front of her - and then she did her best to shine God's love into their lives.

Why don't you - why don't I - why don't we... do the same?