Our tax dollars hard at work

WASHINGTON – In a long-expected move, President Barack Obama plans to sign an executive order ending the ban on federal funds for international groups that perform abortions or provide information on the option, officials told The Associated Press on Friday.

Liberal groups welcomed the decision while abortion rights foes criticized the president. Known as the "Mexico City policy," the ban has been reinstated and then reversed by Republican and Democratic presidents since GOP President Ronald Reagan established it in 1984. President Bill Clinton ended the ban in 1993, but President George W. Bush re-instituted it in 2001 as one of his first acts in office.

The policy bans U.S. taxpayer money, usually in the form of U.S. Agency for International Development funds, from going to international family planning groups that either offer abortions or provide information, counseling or referrals about abortion. It is also known as the "global gag rule," because it prohibits taxpayer funding for groups that lobby to legalize abortion or promote it as a family planning method.

I feel like I'm living in Alaska!

It is NEGATIVE 2 degrees outside right now with a wind chill of "I don't want to know". This is the kind of weather that in two days from now when it warms up to 30 degrees you feel like "this isn't so bad" when in reality it is still cold. The worse thing is, the cold is deceptive. Sure, you feel it even getting near a door or window, but looking out the window from the distance and it is a bright, sunny day. My place never gets cold, thank God, but I'd hate to even imagine being in my old, drafty house during this cold snap.

Which reminds me that while I love my place, I think I'm outgrowing it. While I'm not wanting something as large as my last house and this place has been a welcome change from maintaining and cleaning such a place, the kids are here along with their assorted pets, friends, and chaos and I'm feeling a bit cramped. So I started looking at ads for larger places, just to get an idea of cost. I'm going to start looking early summer and move mid summer - at least that is my plan.

The other thing I 'm doing is watching the travel channel. They are cruel and did a countdown of the ten best Florida beaches. I so want to be there right now.

I'm one flu away from my ideal weight....

Mom told me that was a line from a movie that always made her laugh. See, I gained about four pounds over the holidays and stressed thinking it would take me equally as long, about four weeks, to really lose that weight. Oh well, the buckeye balls were worth it...

I'm proud to announce that with very little effort (though much pain) I've lost those four pounds, plus one, for a total weight loss of five pounds by January 7th. Good job! Well, not really....yes, I lost five pounds but only by having the worse flu of my life. I started feeling it Sunday night and today, Wed. morning, I still can't think about food and I've been out of bed for 20 minutes and feel like it is time for a nap.

So, on the upside, if you're looking for that quick after the holiday weight loss, stop by my house. I'm probably contagious for at least the next 24 hours still.

Happy New Year!

Yes, I know it is has been 2009 for a couple days already but it still feels new. I can't seem to get the date of 09 on my checks and perhaps by Feb. I'll remember to put the correct year. I often get distracted when I try to do 18 things at once and a month or so ago I started to put 96 on a check - where did that come from???? And then there was a few months ago when I wrote out a check for my church and realized I dated the check 1967 - at least that one made some sense because it was my birthday and when I usually write that date I'm filling in a form that ask my date of birth. Still, I bet the church was surprised to find an offering from over 40 years ago in their offering plate that day. Oh well, that is what I get for being absent minded. I think if the bank was okay with that, they'll deal just fine with my next few checks being written out for last year....

Another year has started and last year went so fast. It seems like it wasn't long ago that the whole Y2K thing was happening and in less than a year from now we'll usher in a new decade. As time goes by, life can get more focused and it is easier to realize what the important things are in life.