Birth, Death and Stupid Criminals

If you enjoy puppy stories, you will love last week's post about the life and death situation of our Bernese Mountain dog giving birth.  It was 'touch and go' for both the puppies and Mama Charlie for two days.  The quest for survival was incredible to watch and the joy that comes from hearing that first cry of birth will be long remembered. For that sweet, intriguing story, click here.






We live in the North West and for the past few years have not seen a drop of snow.  We were warned that this year was going to be different but didn't believe it. Were we wrong!  The snow started a couple weeks ago.  The dusting on the trees was so beautiful and everyone thought that was the end of it. WRONG again.  It has continued to snow and now looks like we will have a white Christmas -- almost unheard of in these here parts!

Grandbaby Aubrie is a force to be reckoned with.  You can see it on her face.  She is a thinker and a planner.  She is pretty determined so it was no surprise when she started walking at nine months old.

Her mom, Rochelle, was telling me how Aubrie doesn't take any grief from her big boy cousins.  Recently, when they were playing together she took one of the big boy's toys. He grabbed it back and she pushed him over (he is a year older) and then she pulled his hair.

Rochelle's comment:  "Aubrie is going to be having a lot of sessions in the 'time out corner.'"

What do you want for Christmas?

All of us have moments that make us proud as parents and grandparents. I had one of those moments this week.  My grandson could have asked for anything for Christmas and I am sure there are many toys he would like; but when asked  "What do you want for Christmas?" he responded, "To build a tree fort with my Daddy!"  

My Brother's Gone

When I saw the subject line on an email from my nephew last week, I knew what it was going to say before I opened it.  My brother died. He suffered from failing health the past few years after he lost his wife to Alzheimer's.  He had given his life as a service to others.  He was a missionary in South Africa for over 55 years and built several churches and schools, including the Cape Theological Seminary.  He is now in Heaven with our parents, our sister, and his wife and will not be suffering any longer.

Two Surprises in One Day

This month, I received the final confirmation that two of my stories are being printed in two different anthologies. The first is Necessity is the Mother and can be purchased here.   I love writing stories for anthologies and have one of my own books in the works - more about how you can contribute to that......later.






Drum Roll Please

But.....I am REALLY excited to finally (after many attempts) have one of my stories printed in a Chicken Soup for the Soul series.  To any of you writers/bloggers who have stories in the Chicken Soup series, I have envied you and respected your hard work in getting accepted by this publisher.  This book will be available in February and can be pre-ordered here.




World's Dumbest Criminals

To any of you who have followed my blog, you know we have had our share of break-ins at our stores which are always extremely depressing and certainly shatters our world.  Sometimes the crooks get caught but they have already disposed of the goods they stole but this time........click here for last month's robbery.

Last week the manager of one of our stores was perusing the local paper when he recognized two of our watches for sale!  He immediately called the cops.  The next day the cops came into the store with the two watches to confirm they were ours. Our manager said the cops were like school kids, happy to report their findings.  It wasn't just our watches....they busted a ring of thieves they had been trying to catch and the added bonus of stopping........a drug trafficking business.

Ya Just Gotta Love This!

WHO STEALS SOMETHING FROM A LOCAL STORE AND THEN ADVERTISES IT FOR SALE IN THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER??????  

This is how much these crazy pups grew in a matter of a couple weeks

Merry Christmas

I wish a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my readers and friends.  If you have never seen the FreshPet videos using human hands on dog's bodies.....you are in for a special treat. Each year, they post a different one and you absolutely must watch them over and over again -- they are always funny and a delight.  ENJOY:

This has been a Fly on the Wall post where several bloggers share their crazy homes with you.  They share what has happened in their lives over the past month and I am thrilled to be a part of this wonderful group.  I know you will enjoy each of their stories.

Baking In a Tornado
Menopausal Mother
Spatulas on Parade
Searching for Sanity
Dinosaur Superhero Mommy
Southern Belle Charm
A Little Piece of Peace
Go Mama O