Get Out the Tissues

No pictures today, though I have some I could use... but I don't want to cause more heartache.

Monday was a difficult day as we had a difficult task to do.  With our son deployed, his wife has done her very best and gone far beyond what ANYONE else would do to rehabilitate his dog.  She tried all the Dog Whisperer methods, she was diligent & consistent, she loved him, and she stuck with it longer than imaginable.
But this dog must have had a brain injury or something early in his life.  He was rescued by our son and was extremely lean when he got him.  C. nourished him back to "good health" (at least physically) and loved him so much.
But his behavior had become erratic and he had bitten a neighbor, knocked another neighbor down, attacked the other dog in their home several times and bitten the sweet hand that feeds him (that would be C.'s wife).  He had become a danger to have around, especially because most of the time he was sweet and cute, but could turn on a dime in his behavior.
So after putting it off for months, the decision was finally made that he had to be put down.  She was able to talk to C. on the phone from across the world, and he assured her that he loved her more than his dog, that he didn't want her to get hurt, and that he wanted her to go ahead with it (SO proud of my "boy"!)   Knowing it would be so difficult for her to do, we had told C.'s wife in Dec. that when she was ready to concede, we would come up and take him in for her.  So we made the 3 1/2 hour drive Monday, cried with her as she said her goodbyes to him, and my dear hubby drove off with him.
I stayed with her and her mom, reassuring her over and over that she had done all she could and that this was the right decision.
Since he was taken to the same place where he had received care, they didn't question the decision: they knew that this handsome dog could really hurt someone.  They were so gentle with him, and DH stayed with him, talking to him, stroking him, until the very end.  This was no easy task, because DH was one person that he didn't ever attack and that he trusted.
When DH came back, he said that he would tell her as little or as much as she wanted to know.  She wanted the whole story, so he began... and got out about 3 words before he choked back the sobs.  We all had the tissues going...  He told us how the whole procedure went and how gentle and caring the people were.
After hanging out with her and her mom for about an hour, we drove back home.  It was a mentally exhausting day, but we were so thankful to be able to do it and that we can be a part of their lives in the difficulties as well as the fun times.
As C. serves our country, this was the least we could do to serve him and his dear sweet wife (who has spent one of the five months of their married lives with her husband).  It was an opportunity to be "Mom & Dad" to our new daughter, too.
We will miss Gus, but the world is a safer place now...

Deferring Today

If you don't already, go to NewEveryAM.blogspot.com for a great post today!!!

"Sew" Fun

I was invited to a wedding shower yesterday that was a "kitchen shower".  I like to get what the bride wants, but I also like to throw in a little something special that's not "on the list".
So I got my fabric & patterns out to make her a little apron...

The colors on my photo didn't turn out very good, but I needed to get it wrapped, so no time for more photography...

It will be one-of-a-kind since I did a little detailing on it to make it fun.
Fun fabric, fun details, fun in the kitchen...!!  (And it was fun for me to get back in the sewing groove...)

Sunday Reflections

"Direct me in the path of Your commands, for there I find delight.  Turn my heart toward Your statutes and not toward selfish gain.  Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to Your word."
Psalm 119:35-37

White, Green, or Red...

I'm SO not ready for this again... But it looks like we might get it again next week.  

So... I'm thankful for heat!  And hot chocolate.  And a warm fire in the fireplace.  And getting to watch the kids playing out in the snow having so much fun.

And that spring really will come eventually....

And that green will be the predominant color!

But while waiting, I'll enjoy the indoor beauty...

The leftovers remnants of Christmas...

And what "happened" while I was gone last week...


I bought this amaryllis on sale after Christmas and planted it right before leaving on our trip.  When I took it out of the box, the stem was already bent to the side from growing in the box, so I knew I had to plant it before I left.

It has straightened up a bit from pulling toward the light, but it's still a little "tipsy"...

I think it will be "done" before its neighbor gets big enough to bloom... 
The little tips of green poking up in the other planter were planted the same day, but they were just bulbs... Paper whites! 
 I'm glad they didn't take off too much while we were gone...
 They get so tall that when they finish blooming they can fall over... & set off the alarm!
So whether we get more snow and cold, or sunshine or clouds, I'm just thankful to know the One Who creates all of it!  He sure does beautiful work!

Headache and Heartbreak

I've had a headache nearly all day (the sinus variety) which is very unusual for me.  I think it might even be a little "bug" of sorts (since I had lots of coughing last night).  But it's just a headache, a temporary inconvenience.
But this family has heartbreak...
Joanne is a vibrant 38 year old mom & wife.  She had a stroke on Jan. 11 & is now struggling for her life, on life support.  Her family is clinging to God, trusting Him, hoping and praying for a good outcome for their precious loved one.  Won't you join me & thousands of others in praying for Joanne?  Click on her picture here to go to her blog, which her husband is updating daily.
   As I looked back at pictures of her precious family, I felt connected to all of them & have been inspired to pray for this sweet sister in Christ as a member of my own family.

A headache is nothing compared to what they are going through!

A Little Respite

Well, yes, I have been "away" from my blog... 

but I had a good reason...

It started a week ago today with a drive to Charleston, SC.  Touring this  historic city was a perk of going there a day early to avoid the approaching winter storm.  We passed at least 8 vehicles off in ditches on highway 40 headed toward the beach (where they had snow ON the beach!)  There was about 3" of snow on the ground & it was still coming down.  As soon as we got south of Wilmington, the snow quit & we kept heading south.

But as you can tell, it was still cold!

After we settled in our cabin, we found out that... the ship had no heat!  I guess when you are sailing to the Caribbean, you aren't expecting to need heat!

But we had the warmth of friendship, and going with a group of friends was so much fun!

After a few days we were able to shed some of the layers...

and join the residents of the Bahamas (who were freezing!)  I don't think the Bahamas is quite far enough south to qualify for winter respite in the Caribbean...

But by the last day of "island hopping" (really we only went to Nassau for one day, then to Freeport for one day), we actually went to a beach in shorts & dipped our toes in the water (brrrrr!)  The water & beach were beautiful!

One of the most beautiful things I saw was...this SUNRISE!

  Yes, I got up for a sunrise!  Those who know me well may find this hard to believe... But I love to see the ship pull into or out of the harbors, & not wanting to miss anything... I got up early enough to see it pull in, then enjoyed the bonus of the beautiful sunrise.

Today we returned to reality in our winter coats....

Savoy

"Savoy" - an area of southeastern France that borders on northwestern Italy, a former duchy ruled by the counts of Savoy from the 11th century.


I don't know if this is where the name of this restaurant came from or not, but it is a charming little place with exquisite cuisine!
Knowing that my prince charming has a birthday right after Christmas (Jan.4), I always try to get my shopping for him done along with the Christmas gifts.  This year I purposely went looking for some "experience" gifts versus "stuff" gifts and shopped Groupon throughout the fall.  I found lots of neat "gifts" and had fun giving them at Christmas, but I had purchased one to save for the birthday.

My prince charming loves family get-togethers, times with friends, and large or small group gatherings.  But he also loves quiet little "just you & me" dinners in a nice restaurant now and then.  We don't do much of that anymore, so when Groupon offered this one, I grabbed it and then "hid" it in my folder with my other purchases.  I told him about a week before the birthday to plan on being available that evening.  Then I made a reservation, told him what time to be ready, and how long it would take to get "there".  He LOVES to have a plan!
We were not disappointed by this "date" at all!  The food was superb, the waiter was excellent, we had linen tablecloths & fine china & silver service (I think we each went through at least 3 knives.... they removed each one after it was used), and it was quiet (no music in the background, so you could actually carry on a conversation!)  
He LOVED his birthday gift of a quiet dinner in a nice place with excellent food and his sweetie of 43+ years.

Just before we left, the waiter sat this little bag on our table and said, "Fresh muffins for your breakfast."  WHAT???  I've never had this happen!
So we savored our evening at Savoy...

Hiding

There were some things "hiding" at our house a few days before Christmas~

Like this big box in my hubby's closet....
which contained some cute "girlie" luggage that came within 3 days of when it was ordered, with no extra charge for the shipping!

And this "husband" for one of the girls... (you can only see the "arm" sticking out of the bag...)

The fun part was giving her the little bag with a note in it that said we had found her a husband...

I bought the bag to put something "cute" in, and since the color was the same as the "husband" I thought it fit well.

Do you know what a "husband" is?

I had something "hiding" in this nativity set... (notice that "Joseph" is rather translucent...).  I have several nativity sets, & the Joseph from this set got broken last year, but I couldn't find all the pieces from the translucent set, so I substituted...

We had lots of people in the house at various times over the holidays and I think only one asked about this.  I'm not sure if others were being extra polite or if no one else noticed...

How often do we think something negative is so obvious to those around us, yet no one seems to notice?

I hope that over the coming year I will notice the good in others and say something about it, and not notice the things that would bring them down or create hurt or disappointment for them.  

Lord, help me be an encourager and not hide the light of Christ in me!

Lingering Blessings

I've put away the decorations & tidied up a bit, but I'm not ready to put this away...
Every day is a holiday of sorts, and God blesses us every day...
So I'm going to leave this little reminder up a while longer... (if I had any candy canes, I wouldn't throw them out just because "the holiday" is past...)

The Way It WAS...

I love the fact that my grandchildren LOVE to play "Little House on the Prairie" and that often they play outside where I can see them.  So just a few weeks before Christmas (nothing like putting off till the LAST minute!),  I decided to make outfits for them to play in.  I bought the fabric the first week of Nov., but then things kept getting in the way... like Walmart doesn't carry patterns or fabric anymore! (except I understand the one in Wake Forest still does... I just never think to go over there); and the two fabric stores in town are a long way from my usual treks; and I wanted to keep it a secret; and LIFE.
  But I finally got started on them & didn't even let their mama know what I was doing.  She knew I was doing SOMETHING for someone, because my sewing machine sits right in front of a window, so she would see me bent over it in the evenings.  But she didn't ask, so I didn't tell....
The looks of surprise and thrill I saw on Christmas morning were worth every minute I spent at the sewing machine!

 I wasn't able to complete everything before they opened them, but I finished them over the weekend ...

& they came by today to show me... (the "fur" cape was something they already had). And as I sit here, I can hear them playing outside...

reliving "the way it was."

QUICK!!

I asked about a week ago what kind of give-away YOU would like for my 10,000th visit...
But I didn't hear back from YOU!
And I just realized that WE are only 30 away from the 10,000 mark!!!
So I need some suggestions.... QUICK!!!!
(Don't bother with "a trip to Hawaii".... 'cause if I had that kind of dough, I'd already be there myself!  Especially since my son is there for a few more days....)
Can't wait to hear your suggestions!

A New Year, A New Start

Isn't it interesting that our new year starts in the dead of winter, when we don't tend to think of "newness" as we might in the spring when new growth is obvious all around us.

But it is a time to think of new beginnings: new ways to live for Christ, new opportunities to share His love with others, new experiences, new challenges, and new hope for the future.
That is different than making resolutions that most of can't or won't keep.  It's different than setting up unrealistic goals for the coming year.  It is positive and productive and possible!  With God all things are possible!  I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!
Does He strengthen me to lose 100 pounds?  Or to practice discipline in my habits every minute of every day?  Or to never think badly of another?  These are human failures, but He strengthens me to depend on Him, to fail but go on because He forgives and restores, to forgive others when they hurt me or fail my expectations of them (which are often unrealistic...), and He promises to never leave me or forsake me.

So I'm looking forward to a New Year to experience Christ in every aspect of my life, to see what He is going to do this year in and through me, to have new opportunities and experiences, and to have a new beginning.