Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Blackberry and Peach Pie





INGREDIENTS 

  • 3 cups fresh blackberries
  • 3 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 double crust ready-to-use pie crust
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg           












Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Mix the blackberries, peaches, cornstarch, and sugar in a large bowl. Press one of the pie crusts into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Pour the blackberry mixture into the pie crust. Cover with the remaining pie crust. Crimp the edges of the two crusts together to seal. Cut slits in the top of the pie to vent. Brush the top with the melted butter. Sprinkle the cinnamon and nutmeg over the top. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue to cook until top crust is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
Let sit until cool. That way it won't be so runny when you try to serve it. Goes great will some Cool Whip.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Some updated pictures
















Yesterday we went scouting around South Carolina and found some pretty neat places. First off we went to Campbell's covered bridge. The best preserved covered bridge in S.C. Then we went to Strawberry Hill Farm and got some peaches and blackberries since strawberries aren't in season now. Chase wanted a pie so I put together a blackberry and peach one. I'll post the recipe later. It's really runny...(more like cobbler consistency) but really yummy! We also drove down main street in Chesnee and found a chopper that was placed beside an American legion building so we just had to stop and take a couple pictures of it. : ) It was such a fun afternoon and the kids were really well behaved. Emma doesn't really like naps anymore (although we still make her take them)...so she didn't mind 'exploring' and Luke slept most the time. So, hooray for a fun family outing. 

Monday, August 10, 2009

Reasons to be against the Obama Healthcare Bill

Here's some important details that many of your legislators
have not and will not bother to read, cleaned up and in numerical
order:

. Page 16: States that if you have insurance at the time of
the bill becoming law and change, you will be required to take a similar
plan. If that is not available, you will be required to take the gov
option!
. Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure!
. Page 29: Admission: your health care will be rationed!
. Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments
and benefits you get (and, unlike an insurer, there will be no appeals
process)
. Page 42: The "Health Choices Commissioner" will decide
health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None.
. Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be
provided with free healthcare services.
. Page 58: Every person will be issued a National ID
Healthcard.
. Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time
access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.
. Page 65: Taxpayers will subsidize all union retiree and
community organizer health plans (example: SEIU, UAW and ACORN)
. Page 72: All private healthcare plans must conform to
government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange.
. Page 84: All private healthcare plans must participate in
the Healthcare Exchange (i.e., total government control of private
plans)
. Page 91: Government mandates linguistic infrastructure for
services; translation: illegal aliens
. Page 95: The Government will pay ACORN and Americorps to
sign up individuals for Government-run Health Care plan.
. Page 102: Those eligible for Medicaid will be automatically
enrolled: you have no choice in the matter.
. Page 124: No company can sue the government for
price-fixing.
No "judicial review" is permitted against the government monopoly. Put
simply, private insurers will be crushed.
. Page 127: The AMA sold doctors out: the government will set
wages.
. Page 145: An employer MUST auto-enroll employees into the
government-run public plan. No alternatives.
. Page 126: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time
employees AND their families.
. Page 149: Any employer with a payroll of $400K or more, who
does not offer the public option, pays an 8% tax on payroll <>BR . Page
150: Any employer with a payroll of $250K-400K or more, who does not
offer the public option, pays a 2 to 6% tax on payroll
. Page 167: Any individual who doesnt' have acceptable
healthcare (according to the government) will be taxed 2.5% of income.
. Page 170: Any NON-RESIDENT alien is exempt from individual
taxes (Americans will pay for them).
. Page 195: Officers and employees of Government Healthcare
Bureaucracy will have access to ALL American financial and personal
records.
. Page 203: "The tax imposed under this section shall not be
treated as tax." Yes, it really says that.
. Page 239: Bill will reduce physician services for Medicaid.
Seniors and the poor most affected."
. Page 241: Doctors: no matter what speciality you have,
you'll all be paid the same (thanks, AMA!)
. Page 253: Government sets value of doctors' time, their
professional judgment, etc.
. Page 265: Government mandates and controls productivity for
private healthcare industries.
. Page 268: Government regulates rental and purchase of
power-driven wheelchairs.
. Page 272: Cancer patients: welcome to the wonderful world of
rationing!
. Page 280: Hospitals will be penalized for what the
government deems preventable re-admissions.
. Page 298: Doctors: if you treat a patient during an initial
admission that results in a readmission, you will be penalized by the
government.
. Page 317: Doctors: you are now prohibited for owning and
investing in healthcare companies!
. Page 318: Prohibition on hospital expansion. Hospitals
cannot expand without government approval.
. Page 321: Hospital expansion hinges on "community" input: in
other words, yet another payoff for ACORN.
. Page 335: Government mandates establishment of outcome-based
measures: i.e., rationing.
. Page 341: Government has authority to disqualify Medicare
Advantage Plans, HMOs, etc.
. Page 354: Government will restrict enrollment of SPECIAL
NEEDS individuals.
. Page 379: More bureaucracy: Telehealth Advisory Committee
(healthcare by phone).
. Page 425: More bureaucracy: Advance Care Planning Consult:
Senior Citizens, assisted suicide, euthanasia?
. Page 425: Government will instruct and consult regarding
living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. Mandatory.
Appears to lock in estate taxes ahead of time.
. Page 425: Goverment provides approved list of end-of-life
resources, guiding you in death.
. Page 427: Government mandates program that orders
end-of-life treatment; government dictates how your life ends.
. Page 429: Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to
dictate treatment as patient's health deteriorates. This can include an
ORDER for end-of-life plans. An ORDER from the GOVERNMENT.
. Page 430: Government will decide what level of treatments
you may have at end-of-life.
. Page 469: Community-based Home Medical Services: more
payoffs for ACORN.
. Page 472: Payments to Community-based organizations: more
payoffs for ACORN.
. Page 489: Government will cover marriage and family therapy.
Government intervenes in your marriage.
. Page 494: Government will cover mental health services:
defining, creating and rationing those services.

IF YOU WANT TO CHECK THE VALIDITY SOME OF THESE (like I did)....YOU CAN READ A COPY OF  THE BILL FOR YOURSELF...  http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090714/aahca.pdf