More economic shakings

Yikes! Have you been watching any of the news today? If not, I'd say do something else... like listen to music or put a British Flick in the DVD player. It seems Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are in deep kim chee. The analyst I was listening to on Fox News said he doesn't think people understand how serious this could be if the government has to step in and bail these two mortgage giants out... it would DOUBLE THE NATIONAL DEBT as they own more than 50% of all mortgages in the U.S.

He also said we would not be looking at the "R" word but the "D" word. That's exactly what Donald Trump called a Depression a few months back... the "D" word. He thought is was entirely possible because of the real estate mess. It was interesting that another headline on Fox right after that was that crude oil was reaching another all time high. Hmmm... where is that Pride & Prejudice DVD?

We had our own financial shaking today when my husband visited the Social Security Office. Contrary to what he had been told by someone at the office, our monthly check for Christopher ended this month. (We had been told it would continue through college.) It appears this is not true for S.S. Disability. We are surprisingly calm, having about a third of our income suddenly vanish. God has always provided in some rather unusual ways and we know He will continue.

I guess that is why even when I get that feeling in the pit of my stomach when watching national news that I can still trust in Him (lots of practice). From the first moment I accepted Christ and chose to live my life for Him (in my early-mid teens), it was all or nothing. I gave up too much to be lukewarm.

Ironically, I've been reading T. Davis Bunn's books The Warning and The Ultimatum (about a financial crash and the after affects). I had read the first book but not the sequel. Both are based on the premise of a "quiet guy" banker being made a prophet to warn people of an upcoming severe economic crash. Bunn does an excellent job (as usual) and leaves one on the edge of their seats as to what happens next.

The two books I decided to order with my Amazon credit arrived yesterday. They are A Life That Says Welcome; Simple Ways to Open Your Heart & Home to Others and Keeping House; The Litany of Everyday Life (authors given on the sidebar). Both books have been highly recommended on other blogs.

I started reading the first book last night as I needed a break from the suspense of the Bunn novel. I like it very much. Some books of that genre are way too general and I come away thinking I already knew a lot of what they were saying. This one is full of good information and is a good read. I'm half way through already and yes, I did stay up past midnight because it was that good. I'll be sending it to Stephanie, once I finish it and copy some of the recipes.

I'm looking forward to reading Keeping House soon. It is much, shall we say... deeper... but it is also just what I needed right now. I'm spending more time in Quiet Time, reading, and pondering than usual. I need it.

I will (hopefully) be able to write more about stocking up the pantry tomorrow. That post will be about how I stock the pantry with food stuff aside from my bread and baking supplies. I haven't a clue what to chat about on Sunday Afternoon Tea, yet. Hmmm...

Note: I'm way behind on answering e-mails but don't give up, I'll eventually get to them. :)

Picture: Just a still life from my family room