HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013!

Yesterday we stayed home while I caught up on the laundry. We took down all of the Christmas decorations and put the tree outside for pick up (we hope!). We saw that the neighbor's had placed their trees in front of their houses...so we did the same!

We were invited to our neighbor's house (Roel and Mildred) for a party....ring in the New Year and Mildred's birthday! We went over there around 1530 and stayed a couple of hours. We are truly blessed  to have such wonderful neighbors!  It was nice to meet a few other people too!  At times it is difficult not knowing the language....some things just don't translate well. We are picking up more and more as time goes by...but we don't speak much Dutch.

My Mom's heart ablation went well and she is at home now recovering. Dad is taking care of her and will hopefully be able to make her rest for the week!!!

Today...back to routine!  I have lots of ironing to do. I've downloaded two new t.v. shows from ITunes to see if I like them. One is "Once Upon a Time" and the other is "Betty White's Off Their Rockers". I've also downloaded "Forks Over Knives". I'll be watching them all while I iron! Thank goodness for the internet...keeps us connected to family and friends...and what is going on in the world!

I just read an article from the Wall Street Journal about the "Fiscal Cliff". Seems to be one of the only papers that publishes non-biased news anymore:

Congress broke a rancorous stalemate Tuesday to pass legislation designed to avert the so-called fiscal cliff. But the compromise bill, which blocked most impending tax increases and postponed spending cuts largely by raising taxes on upper-income Americans, left a host of issues unresolved and guaranteed continued budget clashes between the parties.

The bill represented the largest tax increase in the past two decades and was passed over opposition from conservative Republicans in the House who objected to the fact that it contained no long-term spending cuts of any significance.

Both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives approved a bipartisan deal to block most impending tax increases and postpone spending cuts. The WSJ's Mark Cranfield explains what the deal means for the U.S. deficit.

The House voted 257-167, with 172 Democrats joining 85 Republicans in supporting the measure. Voting against the bill were 151 Republicans, and the GOP leadership split over the issue: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.) voted against it, while House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) voted for it. Also supporting the bill was Rep.Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) the GOP vice presidential nominee who has been an ardent opponent of increasing taxes.

for the full article:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323320404578215373352793876.html