I hope everybody who comes across this blog has a wonderful, peaceful, Christ-filled Christmas!  Happy New Year, too!

I can’t believe there’s anyone out there who finds that stench pleasant.  Waste of orange and cloves, if you ask me.  I’m probably the only person alive who feels that way about it, though.

H/T: New Wineskins

Home again! She’s beautiful, of course:

And somewhat silly, like her mother:

The birth was a little bit complicated, but we got her out eventually. Jesse has some of the details over here. I’m not going to add much to that, but I’ll say this: I’d rather push. Cesareans suck. Also, there is nothing quite like the feeling of a little bitty hand pinching your birth canal. Sorry for the TMI. I’m recovering nicely and almost back to normal, thank God.

Oh, heck no. Just checking in. We’re in the hospital now, and we’re not leaving without a baby! Prayers requested.

Simon, at Classical Values:

The only answer that is equitable to all is to get government out of marriage: the libertarian solution. You really do not want government protecting your culture. Because some day in a way you can’t imagine the protections sought will be used against your culture.

As I have been harping on since the election. The libertarian view (small limited government) is your best protection. You are now coming against Cultural Socialism. It is just as bad, maybe worse, than Economic Socialism. The answer is not more law to fix the law that created the mess. It is less law.

I’m in complete agreement. Good luck with that…

A well-informed electorate, indeed:

H/T: Maggie’s Farm

Yup.

After a big scare on Sunday, I’m pleased to say that I am not in labor!

How many babies does a woman have to have before she can tell a difference between real labor and false labor? And also, did you know that wearing uncomfortable shoes can make for some serious back and uterine pain? Now you know. I’ll be wandering around in these extremely comfortable, but old and tattered mules for the next 4 weeks. Hope nobody notices. I am so ready for this to be over!

Mutts like me.

Maybe there’s a touch of humility in the guy, after all? I like mutts. They’re stronger.

The guy they worked for promised to take money away from people who earned it.

and other adolescents:

If someone doesn’t like you, and then suddenly he changes his mind when you do something he approves of, he doesn’t really “like” you, he just likes getting his way. Your mom was right, and those kids are not your friends. They’re using you. Something most people figure out by the time they graduate, but some folks never seem to learn. But at least you’ll get to go to the next big party!

Girls really do have cooties.

This video has been making the rounds today a lot, with a lot of comments about vote fraud and stupid people who don’t know they’re not allowed to vote twice:

Maybe there’s something wrong with my ears, but it doesn’t sound like he’s saying that he voted twice, but that he left and came back to vote a couple times because the lines were so long. Am I missing something? I think the reporter misunderstood what he was hearing, and so did the rest of us. Lay off the poor guy.

Funny, these are the exact words I used when talking to my mother this morning:

A lot of people bought a pig in a poke today, and now they’re going to find out what they bought.

But I didn’t say anything else very witty or insightful, so follow that link for some actual thinking/writing. I just hope he’s not overestimating the ability of most voters to understand cause and effect. He seems very optimistic. Four years from now, Obama voters may be bitterer and even more blind to the consequences of this election, rather than older, wiser and ready to move on.

President Obama. Thankfully, it doesn’t hurt a bit to say it. Lots and lots of bright sides, here. I’m actually kind of glad McCain lost. Republicans have got a lot of cleaning up to do, and I think it’s gonna be very good for them–if they’re not too stupid to do it right. Hint: conservatives are not to blame for this.

So, congrats from little ole’ me to Barack Obama. That was a big win. I hope the next four years are not nearly as difficult as I think they’re going to be.

I am, I mean. We headed for the polls before work this morning to cast our votes. Our precinct is always a quick stop, so it only took a few minutes. Turnout was about normal for this area, and the poll workers are always competent and friendly. Makes me proud to be an American!

I’ve done all I can do, and no matter who wins, I think I’m pretty pleased. I got my chance to make my little voice heard. I fully intended to vote for Bob Barr, but filled out the rest of my ballot first. I needed more time to think, despite all the time I’ve been so sure I was going to vote Libertarian. When I’d finished the rest of the ballot and came back to the “President/VP” box, I couldn’t do it. Protest votes are good in states where the outcome isn’t in question, I guess, but I wanted my vote to mean more than a foot-stamping temper tantrum. So McCain it was. And I’m OK with that, even though I doubt he’s going to win. How about you? Feeling good? Anxious?

Update: I’m not the only one. Heh.

This makes me so very happy.

Time to call it. Who do you think is going to win the next 4 years of pure presidential hell?  Let’s face it, whoever wins is going to wish he hadn’t.

Me? I think it’ll be Obama, by a surprisingly thin margin. Personally, I’m still not sure who’s getting my vote. I’ll let you know tomorrow, after I’ve wept for my country and marked my ballot. Note to self: No more election year pregnancies. It’s hard enough to make the most of all these bad choices without all these stereotypically female emotions swirling around.

As a Conservative, I Must Say I Do Quite Like the Cut of this Obama Fellow’s Jib