Category Archives: Fun stuff for kids

Wise and Foolish illuminations

24 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by in beach sunsets, beauty, Christianity, Fun stuff for kids, Hearts Filled With Joy, lakes, mountains, streams, wisdom and understanding

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“Where then does wisdom come from?

Where does understanding dwell?”  Job 28:20 

“God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth

and sees everything under the heavens.”  Job 28:23 

“But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.”  Job 32:8  ‘”Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?”  declares the LORD.’  Isaiah 66:2a 

“This is the one I esteem:  he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”  Isaiah 66:2b

“But every one who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.”  Matthew 7:26

“The rain came down, the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”  Matthew 7:27

“And he said to man, ‘The fear of the Lord-that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.'”  Job 28:28 

Make-Believe illuminations

16 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in beauty, Christianity, fun stuff for grandparents, Fun stuff for kids, Hearts Filled With Joy

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“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”  I Peter 3:3,4

Who Am I?  Daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, friend, child of God.  Sometimes I hardly know how to sign my name on a birthday card because I wear so many different hats.

I love this picture taken of three of my children and a friend playing dress up.. Little girls love to dress up and little brothers sometimes enjoy it too.  At least until later when they are teenagers and see the pictures.

Little girls love to dress up like a princess or a fairy.  The imagination is a wonderful thing given to us by God.  Ballet costumes are so pretty and dancing all dressed up in one is the dream of many a little girl.  I remember the very first time I danced with my father at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago with a live orchestra playing after dinner music.  I felt very grand and so grown up even though I was only in grade school.  How very special one feels when a daddy or grandfather dances with us for the very first time.

Even grown up girls love to dress up and look like someone different from who we really are most of the time.  I think every girl deserves to go out on a special date all dressed up and feeling special now and then.  I told a girl friend of mine that we should dress up in our best dresses and big hats and go out for a special Kentucky Derby luncheon this spring.  I am getting tired of wearing blue jeans and sweatshirts even though I love to be comfortable.  I see nothing wrong with dressing up as long as we remember that God is looking at our heart and as a child of God I want my appearance to be pleasing to Him.

What about you?  Have you dressed up for something special lately?  I would love to hear from you.

Glorious illuminations part II

03 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by in adoreable puppies, beauty, Best Friend Dogs, Christianity, crafts, Easter, flower gardens, Fun stuff for kids, health, Hearts Filled With Joy, therapy dogs

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“Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”            John 11:40

You may not think caterpillars are beautiful.  Many have stripes or spots that help protect them from birds and other predators by breaking up their body’s outline.  This coloration also blends well with the plants upon which the caterpillar eats.    They crawl slowly in a wave-like motion using three pairs of true legs, and as many as five pairs of “pro-legs” which function the same as the true legs.  The true legs later develop into the legs of the adult butterfly, while the pro-legs are lost during metamorphosis.  The caterpillar’s feet are capable of wrapping around and grasping the branches and stems of the plants they like to eat.

Obviously, God’s purpose was not to make the caterpillar attractive but to protect it from danger.  But how beautiful is God’s purpose when we see his entire plan.  He chose to use a miracle to transform an ugly earth bound caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly that can fly.  What a great illustration of what happens to us when we die.  Death is not the end, but a beautiful new beginning.  We are much like the caterpillar with no beauty of our own until God transforms us by His grace giving us new life and beauty when we place our trust in Jesus who died for our sins so that we might have eternal life.

Fun stuff for Kids

Caterpillar Craft (for a younger child)

You will need

  • 5 fuzzy balls,(one color or a rainbow of colors)
  • one large fuzzy ball
  • Strip of poster board, 1,2 inch by 5 inches
  • a set of googly eyes
  • glue stick or hot glue gun(for adult use)

Fold poster board strip like an accordion and glue on small fuzzy ball with large one for the head.  Let glue set.  Glue on googly eyes.

Cocoon For Your Caterpillar

Use an ordinary bathroom toilet paper holder and wrap it with green or brown peel and stick foam.  Fold the end of it together to form the top of the cocoon and add a thin strip of cut foam to wrap your cocoon around a branch.

Butterfly Craft

You will need a large white paper coffee filter, washable markers, a wood clothes pin, pipe cleaner, spray bottle, Elmer’s white glue, googly eyes.

  • Spread newspaper or a plastic table cloth over work space.
  • Color coffee filter with markers using several different colors.
  • Fill spray bottle with water and lightly mist coffee filter so colors run together.  Let dry.
  • Put a little glue on inside of the clothespin and carefully insert coffee filter.
  • Cut a pipe cleaner in half and wrap it around the neck curling it up behind the head to form antennas.
  • Glue on googly eyes.

Easter Egg Coloring Fun

The Coming of Sunshine

Sunshine was born on Easter Sunday and it was love at first sight.  She was the sweetest puppy and never caused a bit of trouble.  It was almost like she was a gift from God because she came into my life at a time when I was feeling very blue.  Some dogs are wonderful therapy and Sunshine reflected her name and always brought me happiness.

Beauty Tip

As you appreciate the beauty of a garden of flowers, take deep life giving breaths of the flower perfumed air and gaze at the amazing beauty of a flower until it sinks deep within your spirit and soul and you reflect that beauty and the love God has poured into his wondrous creation.  You may not see the beauty when you look in the mirror, but you will be reflecting it to others in a smile or kind deed that lights up your countenance with God’s love.


 

The Easter Lily

The beautiful white flowers of the Easter Lily symbolize purity, hope, love and life which is the spiritual significance of Easter.  Lilies were found growing in the garden of Gethsemane after the Crucifixion.  They were said to have sprung up when drops of Christ’s sweat fell to the ground in his final hours of sorrow and distress.  At Easter time churches bank their altars with masses of Easter lilies to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the hope of everlasting life.

Health Tip

Eternal life is not just life everlasting up in heaven, it is youth giving, revitalizing, joy producing, purpose filled life here on earth.

The Garden of Gethsemane

Just before Jesus was arrested he and His disciples went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”  He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.  “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them.  “Stay here and keep watch.”

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.  “Abba. Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you.  Take this cup from me.  Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping.  “Simon,” he said to Peter, “Could you not keep watch for one hour?  Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”                          Mark 14:32-38

What a wonderful Savior we have in Jesus!  

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   John 3:16

Glorious illuminations part I

26 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in beach sunsets, crafts, fun stuff for grandparents, Fun stuff for kids, Hearts Filled With Joy

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“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  II Corinthians 4:6

I love to go shell hunting with my grandchildren.  The tiny little Coquina butterfly shells that come in so many beautiful colors are among our favorites to collect and admire.  But finding sand dollars are the best of all because they tell the story of Christ.  They are imprinted with a flower-like design on the top of the dollar that resembles the Easter Lily and on the back of the shell is a Poinsettia- the Christmas flower.

The five holes represent the five wounds borne by Christ when He hung on the cross.  The five pointed star in the center represents the star of Bethlehem that guided the Wise Men.

When the sand dollar shell is broken open five tiny white doves are found- the Doves of Peace which represent the hope of eternal life that Christ, God’s beloved and only Son gives to each of us who believe.

Fun Stuff For Kids and Grandparents

One week around Thanksgiving I found so many sand dollars on the beach that I decided to turn them into Christmas ornaments by mixing two parts Elmer’s glue and one part water together and carefully brushing about three coats on each side of the sand dollar, letting it dry between each coat.  Then I tied a pretty red Christmas ribbon on each and included the story of Christ that the sand dollar represents.  A friend of mine later told me that her daughter after seeing the sand dollar ornament on her tree decided to give sand dollars away to all the guests at her wedding.  Isn’t it amazing what God can do if we will just listen to him and find out his plan for our life and follow it.

Our beach neighbor loves to make a shell garden each year for his grand kids.  Our grandchildren like to see and admire the many wonderful varieties of shells that Bob finds on the beach and displays in his garden.

More Fun Stuff For Kids or Adults

I decided to make a shell covered treasure box with some of the shells I have collected on the beach.  I bought peel and stick, glitter foam that comes in 10 assorted colors and only costs about $5.00 at Walmart.  I cut out pieces from one of the sheets to cover a tiny treasure box that I bought from a beach gift shop for only $2.99.

Next I glued an assortment of small shells to the lid with Elmer’s glue.  The glue took quite a while to dry but it did stick the small shells to the top of the box.  A hot glue gun might have been faster, but I wanted to see if I could use this craft later with the grand kids.

The box was already lined with a black velvet material, but if it hadn’t been I would have cut more glitter foam in a contrasting color to line it with.  It is always fun to find a useful way to use our collections.  Enjoy!

Beach Friends

This morning I met up with two of my sweet beach friends as I was out walking.  Louise was in a terrible auto accident months ago and now is overjoyed to be able to be back walking the beach again.  Her friend Dino came to the hospital and stayed with her night and day the first couple of days after the accident.  That kind of friendship is very special.  It reminds me of the verse in Proverbs 17:17:  “A friend loves at all times…”

Jesus asks us to leave all and follow Him.  But what those who refuse never find out is that by leaving those things we think will give happiness, we discover the delights that God offers and which bring lasting joy.  As we walk out of the darkness and gloom into the light of His presence, he places a new song in our heart.  That song is a song of joy that only the love of Christ can give.

No matter how tired and exhausted we feel when facing great difficulties, by coming to the LORD and crying out to Him, we discover that our strength is renewed like the eagle who is lifted by the wind currents.  And there in His Presence , as we place our trust in Him the joy of the LORD becomes our strength.

When my mother died, after suffering with Alzheimer’s disease for 3 years followed by a stroke that took away her ability to walk and talk, my spirit was weary and downcast and I felt very sad.  But as always my wonderful Savior gave me words of comfort in my devotions and bible reading.   The following morning I read:

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  Isaiah 40:31

I began to visualize my mother happily walking the beach with her beloved Savior singing hymns of praise the way she always did.  She looked just like Helen Hayes with her lovely white hair and she was always out on the beach before dawn so she could watch the sunrise.  She had a soft, sweet voice and people called her the singing beach lady. I am confident that if God can create such beauty in our world here on earth with gardens of flowers and birds, sunsets and beaches, mountains and forests;  then heaven must be all that and even more glorious.

“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.”  Psalm 89:15

Each evening after dinner we all go out to the beach to watch the sunset.  Often the beach is very wide and it is possible to walk along the sandbar and discover many sand dollars and other treasures.  Children develop a real sense of appreciation for beauty at the beach.  Shepherd, our two year old grandson, will sit spellbound beside us in the sand watching the big red ball of the sun go down and dip into the ocean.  God in His wisdom has planned so many beautiful things for us to enjoy!  How important it is for us to keep our spirit alive and see His creation with the eyes of our heart as we teach our children and grandchildren to know Him and develop a close relationship with Him.

St. Patrick’s Day illumination

10 Saturday Mar 2012

Posted by in adoreable puppies, Best Friend Dogs, crafts, Fun stuff for kids, Hearts Filled With Joy, recipes, St. Patricks Day

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

When Patrick was taken prisoner at age 16 by a group of raiders who were attacking his family estate in Britain, he probably was angry with God blaming him for what had happened.  He was taken to Ireland and remained a prisoner for 6 years serving his captors as a lonely shepherd with only sheep for companionship.  But like David, he had a lot of time to talk to God and probably voiced not only his complaints but also his fears and dreams.  He finally escaped by walking 200 miles to the Irish coast and returned to Britain.  Once in Britain he began religious training and became a priest.  His dream was to return to Ireland and convert the pagans to Christianity.

He used the lovely shamrock leaf to explain the Trinity; God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit three in one.  He became the Patron St. of Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17 which is the anniversary of his death.

Fun Craft For Kids: 

Shamrock Pins

  • Using Sculpey green clay (can be found in most craft stores) on a piece of Cut-rite wax paper, let each child flatten out 1/4 of a small package.
  • Flatten to fit a metal shamrock cookie cutter shape.
  • Cut out the shamrock shape pressing down firmly with cutter so as to cut out completely.
  • Pick up shamrock shape which is still on wax paper and carefully bend back wax paper around it to peel off extra clay.
  • Gently peel away wax paper from shamrock and lay on a fresh piece of wax paper on a cookie tray.
  • Preheat oven to 200 degrees and bake shamrock on wax paper for about two hours till firm.
  • Let cool completely on tray
  • Using a hot glue gun, glue a jewelry pin (which can be found at most craft stores) to the back of the shamrock.

When I was growing up anyone who did not have on something green on St. Patrick’s Day got pinched.  I didn’t have any green outfits and I remember how grateful I was that my sister Judy had crocheted me a green shamrock pin to wear so I wouldn’t be pinched.

Rainbow illuminations

I’m still searching for rainbows and I imagine Ireland has lots of them.  It is known as the Emerald Isle because of the abundance of rain and beautiful green grass.  Kentucky also has abundant rain and it is known as the Blue Grass State.  I guess the grass sometimes looks blue in the misty atmosphere after a rain.  This is a picture of some of our puppies who are a bit muddy after playing in the rain.

Fun Stuff For Kids

The Fresh Market

It is still too cold for the farmer’s market to open so we decided to take a visit to a beautiful Fresh Market store.  The fruit and vegetables were placed in rainbow assortments and it all looked so yummy it was hard to resist.  It was a great learning experience for Shepherd.  He wanted to know about everything and seemed determined to load up the grocery cart with all he could get his hands on.

When I returned home I made a fruit tray using some of the pineapple, cantaloupe, Honey Dew melon, strawberries, raspberries, Kiwi, grapes and blueberries.  I believe it had all the colors of the rainbow which I learned long ago to remember with the letters  ROY G BIV (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.

Recipe:  Favorite Fruit Dip

  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp.almond extract

Stir all together and serve with fruit.

Mind illuminations

It is a myth that St. Patrick got rid of all the snakes in Ireland.  It is more likely that he rid Ireland of a lot of the evil attitudes which some might attribute to Satan who was disguised as a snake in the garden of Eden.  A young teenager had all his life plans altered and what seemed like a terrible tragedy, God turned for the good not only for the boy but for an entire country.  Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you!  

AN IRISH BLESSING FOR YOU.                                                                        MAY THE Irish hills caress you, may her lakes and rivers bless you, may the luck of the Irish enfold you and may the blessings of SAINT PATRICK behold you.

Therapy Dogs & Friendship International

28 Saturday Jan 2012

Posted by in Best Friend Dogs, crafts and recipes, Friendship International, Fun stuff for kids, Hearts Filled With Joy, therapy dogs

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“Greater love hath no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  John 15:13”

Friendship International

“Friendship International is a gift of Christian love from American ladies to Internationals living in the Lexington area.  The purpose of Friendship International is to help make the adjustment to the American way of life easier, to provide activities of interest and to facilitate building cross-cultural friendships.”

Friendship International meets in Immanuel Baptist Church each Thursday during the school year, unless Fayette Co. Public Schools are not in session.  Childcare is provided for preschool children.

Here is a list of some of the classes that are offered:  Bible Study, Cooking, Crafts, Crochet, Cross-Cultural Parenting, Cross-Stitch, Exercise, Knitting, Line Dancing, Needlepoint, Quilting, Scrap booking, English (levels 1,2and 3), and Spanish.

The day that I attended they were celebrating the countries of the International ladies with a Parade of Nations.  The traditional dress of their country worn by many of the International women and their children was breathtaking.  I am sorry I was unable to take pictures of all the lovely ladies and children.

Following the Parade OF Nations I visited the cooking  class and enjoyed listening to Kim Okesson explain and demonstrate how to prepare and cook Ramen Cabbage Salad, English Muffin Pizzas and Rice Pudding.  The English Muffin Pizzas were not only just what my grand kids would love but also very easy and inexpensive to make.   The recipe is as follows:

English Muffin Pizzas                                                  

English Muffins

Pizza or Pasta Sauce

Mozzarella Cheese

Toppings:  Meat: cooked chicken, ground beef, ham and sausage.

Vegetables: onion, green pepper spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, what ever you like.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Split English muffin in half and toast in toaster if you like a crunchy crust.  Place split muffins on cookie tray.

Spoon on sauce, then add toppings.  Add the cheese last.

Cook in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes.  Once the cheese is melted, your pizzas are ready.  Enjoy!!

Best Friend Therapy Dogs

Baby is a therapy dog as well as a service dog.  The way that Lee and Linda explained the difference to me is as follows.  A therapy dog does something for someone else.  A therapy dog has a “bachelor degree” and has to like people and get along with them well.  He must not be spooked by walkers or loud noises like a plate dropping to the floor.  Baby has provided therapy to anxious parents and children in emergency rooms and waiting rooms.  Baby has worked at the V.A. Hospital on Leestown Rd., at U.K. children’s Hospital oncology unit, and with Alzheimer patients at the local Best Friends program.

Lee developed a vision problem in 2006 and now Baby is pretty much a full time service dog for him.  A service dog has a “master’s degree” and does something for it’s owner.  Baby has traveled with Lee on airplanes to California and accompanies him into restaurants.   She is very well behaved and should not be petted when she has her service vest on because that would distract her focus from her job.  She is able to sniff out smoke and help Lee not run into things.  Some service dogs sniff out bombs and drugs.  A seeing eye dog has a P.H.D. and is highly and specifically trained.  The key trick in training a dog is repetition that is reinforced.

Baby will be 10 years old in March and was rescued from a “kill shelter” the day before she was going to be put down.  I met Baby at the Heirloom restaurant in Midway and immediately fell in love with her.  When you look into Baby’s eyes, you see great depths of compassion, wisdom and love.  No wonder she has made such a great therapy and service dog.  What a blessing she has been both to Linda and Lee as well as all the people she comforted through the years.

Fun Stuff For Kids

We decided to take our two year old grandson with us when we took Ladd for a check up at the vet.  Shepherd decided that his dog Raffy needed a checkup also.   The doctor at the Animal Hospital of Nicholasville was so understanding and examined both Raffy and Ladd explaining patiently everything to Shepherd and answering all his questions.  What a joy it is to find doctors who are concerned about their patients as well as their owners.

More Fun Stuff For Kids

When our daughter Christy was young, she wanted a dog house for her best friend Snoopy.  One weekend, my husband agreed to help her build one and together they constructed it out of a cardboard box and lots of tape.  They had a wonderful time painting it and made a beautiful and priceless memory of fun and laughter.

Time with our children, loved ones and friends is so precious.  We should never take it for granted.  Make the most of every moment you are given!

“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!  How vast is the sum of them!  Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.  When I awake, I am still with you.”  Psalm 139:17, 18

Best Friend Dogs

21 Saturday Jan 2012

Posted by in adoreable puppies, Best Friend Dogs, Fun stuff for kids, Hearts Filled With Joy

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“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”    Philippians 4:19

It was 22 degrees outside this morning and 56 degrees in my family room when I got up.  I put on a double layer of fleece to begin the day since we don’t heat part of our home at night to save money (don’t try this in any room that has water pipes because they might freeze, break and flood your home.)  When I looked outside my window, I discovered that our yard was covered with sparkling diamonds of frost.  Their beauty along with the memory of my grand kids laughter and smiles reminds me that I am very rich indeed!

Fun Stuff for Kids

Last night for Cousin’s Night we took all eight of the grand kids skating at Triangle Park.  None of them had ever been skating before and I had only gone skating once in the last 44 years.  I thought seriously about wrapping myself up in the roll of bubble wrap that we had bought for Shepherd to play with popping the bubbles.  Thankfully after much prayer and most likely a guardian angel holding me up on each side, I didn’t fall.  The grand kids were amazing!  The boys, not caring how many times they fell, took to it immediately.  The girls were a little more cautious but after about an hour, they were all skating.  Shepherd, our fearless two year old went right out and started walking on his skates with no problem.  Everyone loved skating and another fun thing about our trip to the “city” was hearing Shepherd exclaim “WOW!” over and over again.  “Look at the tall buildings with all the lights, Grammy, look at the towers and look at the church steeple all lit up.”  He especially liked parking in a parking garage with all the cars and riding in an elevator with a window over at Victorian Square and walking across the sky walk and seeing the cars go under us.  How wonderful it is to see life through the eyes of a little child!  No wonder Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”   Mark 10:15  It takes childlike, fearless faith to believe that which we can not see.

Housekeeping Fun Tip

This is the most fun way to clean your wood floors.  First wax your table and chairs with some lemon Pledge (I like lemon because it smells so good.)   Next put on some good skating music like Skater’s Waltz.  Then put on an old pair of clean socks and have all your kids or grand kids put on socks also.  Then everybody skate around the floor.  The kids will love it and you’ll have a nice shiny floor from the little bit of Pledge mist that fell on the floor when you waxed your furniture.

Kitchen Drying Mats

Have you tried the new drying mats for pots and pans and stuff you wash by hand? My daughter gave me one with snowflakes on it for Christmas and I love it.  So much nicer than spreading out a kitchen towel and you can throw it in the washer if you need to clean it.

Mind Illuminations

I’m playing “Words With Friends” which is like scrabble only better (you play at your own convenience over the internet.)  Right now I have four games going and two of them are with my grandsons.  They keep me busy trying to come up with words and hopefully it will keep my brain sharp!

Best Friend Celebrations

Shepherd wanted to celebrate his best friend Raffy’s birthday so I took two candles and some matches with us to the bakery and we had “fire on the doughnut” as he called it and sang happy birthday to Raffy.  Shepherd talks to Raffy like a real person and takes him everywhere he goes.  We’ve discovered that the best way to get Shepherd to go to bed is to tell him that Raffy is sleepy and then ask Raffy who he wants to sleep with.  Of course all the names we suggest are met with a big “NO” until we say Shepherd.  This pleases Shepherd so much that he happily goes off to bed with him.

Other Best Friends who have blessed our hearts through the years:

Happy was one of my best birthday presents ever.  My daughters surprised me with him by placing a large picnic basket with a big red bow on my kitchen counter for my birthday.  You can imagine my surprise and delight when the lid started to lift up and a darling puppy poked his nose out.  It was love at first sight.

My son Jim is a tech genius or maybe I should say wizard because he patiently taught me a lot of new skills on the computer so I could start this blog.  Here he is pictured with his former best friend, Morgan.

This is Bobby with his best friend Oscar. He owns Wombles Transportation (more later about our trip with Shepherd down to see his big buses.)

This is Mary Ladd with one of  her best friends, Sampson when he was still a puppy.

When Sampson came to our house to live, I thought he would be a great guard dog.  But the only person that he ever ran off was the U.P.S. delivery man who he chased down our driveway.  We still can’t get U.P.S. deliveries to this day.  Great Danes are very playful and the only problem with them is that they are big as a small pony.

I forgot to mention that one summer Sampson jumped into our neighbors pool.  I received a call to come get him immediately!  I never found out who was swimming when this happened.

Christy fell in love with Sidney when she first got married to Chad and they took her to Beaver Dam with them.  On a weekend visit home to our house Sidney became Happy’s sweetheart.  Later she became the Mother of first Bailey and eventually Sunshine.  Sidney use to disappear and eventually Christy would find her in the bath tub behind the shower curtain.  She loved to take  baths.

We’ve had so many best friends through the years.  Dogs are a gift from God to men and provide us with “good medicine” when we are lonely, hurting or sad! (more about this later)

Health Tip

Tonight when I was plugging up all my tech stuff that needed charging (cell phone, Kindle Fire,and camera), I suddenly realized that I felt like my own battery was needing to be charged.  So before I fall asleep tonight, I intend to plug into God knowing He will energize me for tomorrow.

Mind illumination   “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”   Psalm 119:11

Three of my grand kids said their Bible verse to me last night and what a special blessing it is to hear them and receive the big hug they give me when I tell them how very proud I am of them.   If you haven’t learned a new bible verse for January yet take a look at the Challenge For Great Riches in my Jan. 14 blog and put a smile in your heart today by memorizing a verse.