Goodbye, Shadow

From Elizabeth's journal:

On Sunday night, my dear dog Shadow died. I am heartbroken. She was the best dog anyone could ever wish for. She had a problem breathing so we took her to the vet. The vet took x-rays of her lungs and heart. The vet said that her heart was all right but her lungs probably had cancer.

We decided as a family not to let her suffer. I cried really hard. My heart hurts so badly. When I think of her, tears come to my eyes. I can't help it.

Her birthday was really special. It was on the Fourth of July.

I miss her. I hope she is happy in doggy heaven.

"A righteous man regards the life of his animal." Proverbs 12:10a

Happy Birthday, Shadow! (America, too!)

Our sweet gal Shadow is 12 years old today! She shares her birthday with our country, which turned 233. This morning she donned her red, white, and blue birthday bandana.

Daniel: I like Shadow because she is sweet and calm.
Elizabeth: Shadow only eats and sleeps. That's all she does.
Jonathan: Shadow is wide.
Linda: Jon!
Jonathan: (giggles)
Elizabeth: She's soft and cuddly.
Daniel: Shadow is a very, very, very good guard dog. And she eats popcorn.
Alan: Happy Birthday!
All: Happy Birthday, Shadow!

And Happy Fourth of July!

"I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me." Psalm 13:6

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Everyone is so doggone busy today.

Mom has been preoccupied with homeschooling, laundry and dishes. Same ole, same ole. After lunch she and Elizabeth went to Trader Joes. I checked the bags but they didn't get me any Peanut Butter treats this time. Shucks.

The boys have been working on their Pinewood Derby entries with Dad. I don't see what the big deal is about these little blocks of wood. I sniffed them but they didn't smell very exciting.

I guess I'm the only one who remembered that today is Dad's birthday. I'm not sure how old he is but it's a lot of dog years! He has more gray hairs on his head than I do on my chin.



Maybe we'll throw him a party, complete with hats and horns. Maybe we'll bake him a cake and sing the Happy Birthday song. Maybe we'll all shout, "Happy Birthday, Dad!"

But first things first...

It's time for my nap.

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" Psalm 34:8

Ten Things I Love That Begin With "F"

Donna reminded me that Sherry at Semicolon has been handing out letters. I was assigned the letter "F".

Ten Things I Love That Begin with "F"

1. Fiction, particularly a well-crafted, redemptive story. I hope to read more of it in 2007.

2. Friends (human) and Friends (furry).


Rolly is visiting again for a few days.

3. Fellowship of the saints. A necessary good.

4. Fenelon. Let Go is a gem of a book .

5. Fuji apples. Boring but true fact: I eat one nearly every day.

6. Family Fun magazine. To inspire creativity.

7. Fragrant Flowers, especially David Austin and Romantica roses.


Yves Piaget, a Romantica rose.

8. Freecycle. Whoever came up with it is a genius.

9. Family. Self-explanatory.

10. Faithful and True One. Fount of Every Blessing. Forgiving Father. Friend.

If you'd like a letter, please let me know in the comments section and I'll pick one for you.

"No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. " John 15:15

Joy Blossoms

I received a beautiful amaryllis for Christmas from a dear friend.

I adore flower bulbs. They remind me of God's promises. They kindle expectancy. Hope. Abundance.



What a difference time makes...



Waiting is worthwhile.

Joy blossoms. Glorious perfection.

Pleasure.

His promises are sure, because He is Faithful and True.

"For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us." 2 Corinthins 1:20

Christmas Day Snippets

After breakfast, it was time for our final advent calendar opening. Behind door #25 Jonathan found baby Jesus with a note: "He is the Gift. He is the Giver." With a smile, he ran to the nativity scene to put Jesus in the manger.


"This is what Christmas is all about, Mommy," said Elizabeth.



Don't let them fool you. This calm lasted about 40 seconds!



Alan was thrilled to receive a MacArthur Study Bible
to replace the one that was lost.


Shadow loved her stuffed musubi and couldn't wait to
remove the squeaky ume inside.



When I wasn't cooking, I was shooting.

Grandpa and Grandma always want to know what we ate, so here's the menu: Prime Rib with au jus, mashed potatoes, stir fried green beans, portabello mushrooms with garlic, bread. Dessert was apple strudel, ice cream and sparkling cherry cider.

Leftovers made great Day After Christmas Soup.

The good news: 5 year old Daniel finally figured out how to work his toy camcorder.

The bad news: His first video was of unsuspecting me coming out of the shower!

The collective laughter from everyone was eclipsed only by my scream. You can bet that clip will NOT be seen on Google video!

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21

Meet Rolly

While our friends are on a trip to Europe, we have the honor of watching their sweet dog Rolly (pronounced "Raleigh") for three weeks. We have a soft spot for golden retrievers because in our early married years our first "child" was a golden. Rolly invokes wonderful memories of him.

Rolly has the classic golden temperament--mellow, happy and patient with children. In the short time he's been with our family he's endeared himself to us with his affectionate ways. He loves to lay his head on the closest lap he can find. He eagerly eats up any attention he gets, and when your hand momentarily stops scratching him his nose will gently nudge you back into servanthood.


Rolly is a BIG, happy guy.


Even though Rolly is about 30% bigger, Shadow
makes it clear that she is still Alpha Dog.


Rolly loves to follow Elizabeth around for head scruffs,
and she is happy to oblige.

He is with us for one more week. We are plotting how to tell his former owners that they can't have him back. :-)

"A righteous man regards the life of his animal..." Proverbs 12:10a

Currently...

(Apologies for being MIA from my blog. It's been a hectic couple of weeks. If you've emailed me and I haven't responded, thanks for your patience. I hope to catch with y'all this week!)

Currently, I'm...

Listening to: Take Me Away, Sarah Kelly; Jennifer Knapp Live

Reading: Holiness, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss; and For Women Only, by Shaunti Feldhahn

Reading Aloud: James Herriot's Treasury for Children

Grilling: Korean Kalbi Ribs

Tossing: Black Bean & Jicama Salad

Watching: The kids at their swimming lessons

Decluttering: Books in preparation for the homeschool convention

Taking photos of:


Shadow (who will turn 9 yrs on the 4th of July)

Memorizing: 2 Peter 1

Praising God for: His mercies which are new every morning; His faithfulness in sending His right and true Word at the moment I need it; His power to change my heart; and His goodness in giving me special friends.

What's currently going on with you?

"O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise." Psalm 51:15

All Lit Up

When will they be done putting the lights up on the tree?



Hooray, they're done! Now Daddy is all mine again.

"Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord." Ephesians 5:8b-10

Shadow and Mr. Hedgehog

We found a cute little hedgehog that made the funniest sound when we squeezed it. Ooomp. Ooomp. Ooomp. The perfect Christmas gift for Shadow!

Soon after we arrived home I noticed Shadow was already carrying him around. "Who gave Shadow the hedgehog? It was supposed to be her Christmas gift."

Elizabeth said, "I did! That's okay, Mama, you can get her another gift for Christmas." Those two girls are always in cahoots with one another. :-)

The rest of the day we saw Shadow carrying around Mr. Hedgehog. Sometimes she would nuzzle him. Or use him as a pillow. Ooomp. Ooomp. Ooomp.



Shadow likes to demonstrate her love for her animals by chewing an eye or nose off. Mr. Hedgehog fared pretty well. He can still see and smell but he had his Ooomp surgically removed.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

"A merry heart does good, like medicine." Proverbs 17:22