CHRISTMAS DOXIE #2

"Okay--the joke's over.  Do I look sufficiently ridiculous for you, or do you have more evil ideas to humiliate me with??"

CHRISTMAS DOXIE #1

I will be posting a "doxie a day" in the days leading up to December 25.  Isn't this little fella cute in his Santa hat?

Of course, ever mindful of the true meaning of the holiday (Jesus is the reason for the season), our family always celebrates our Lord's birth on Christmas Day.  Oh, we don't think there's anything wrong with Christmas trees, holly, stockings,  etc.--the traditional favorites--we just want to put HIM first in our celebration.

So . . . with my own personal kickoff of the season, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

THREE ELEMENTS OF THANKSGIVING

I love everything about the Thanksgiving holiday,  and I've decided that the three elements that make it memorable are:  the food, the festive table, and family and/or loved ones with which to share the first two!

Of course, first place would go to having family with us--food would be second, and the table décor would be third.  I've included some beautiful Thanksgiving tables with this post:  which is your favorite?

This year, we will be spending Thanksgiving at our daughter Holly's home, along with her hubby Philip, the three grandchildren, as well as his parents and grandma.  It will be a wonderful time together.  Our daughter Bethany and her hubby Kurt won't be coming from Arizona, but will be flying here for Christmas, another favorite holiday.  

Last Thanksgiving, my mother was still with us, albeit in very poor health.  No longer able to get out of bed, we all visited her at her nursing facility, bringing a plate of our Thanksgiving meal.  She enjoyed it so much, but especially enjoyed seeing her great grandchildren.  They loved their "Nana" very much.

I think of our military families who have loved ones far away who won't be able to come home for Thanksgiving.  Let's remember to say a special prayer for their safety and for their families who miss them so much.

Thanksgiving is all about family.  Many of us have lost family members over the years, and we miss them so much during holidays, especially.  However, as a Christian, I know that my parents are with the Lord and are enjoying things far beyond what we can even imagine down here.  What a blessed hope that is.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING once again. 
The Hinton Family

THAT WOULD BE DUKE . . .

Sometimes our pets don't behave, sometimes they don't do what we want, and sometimes they just make a mess.  This is also true for children, and we don't consider ridding ourselves of THEM, do we??

So it goes with pets.  I dread the day when our doxie Duke will no longer be with us, because he brings so much life, joy, and companionship to our home.  We know he loves us, and he usually puts up with these two decrepit people who sometimes don't want to play, rub his ears, or go outside and watch him chase a squirrel (or a fox, or a coyote, or a deer, which we've seen thus far in our new place--or it might have been a wolf instead of a coyote, though).

His positives far outweigh his negatives, let me tell you.  Recently, Clark was out of town for four days, and it was such a blessing to have Duke in the house--it didn't seem TOO lonely with him here.  He stayed by my side (that is, after the first day, when he watched for Clark all day and barked at every itty bitty noise!).  It was like he knew I needed taking care of. 

Dogs are people, too (or so they think, anyway).



Duke chasing leaves:  we have millions!

THANKSGIVING IMAGES

First Thanksgiving

Remember our troops

A traditional favorite

Yes!

And especially be thankful for the Lord
and His goodness

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

Here's the latest version of my personal business card--in perusing Vistaprint's catalog of cards, I saw the artwork on this one, and I was hooked--the dawg is PERFECT, and really looks like Duke.  I included less information than on my previous cards, following the motto of "less is more" (that works well for makeup, too!). 

I dislike marketing my books in person, especially to strangers.  Maybe I'm an introvert after all (don't faint, family members!).  I don't even like to mention my books in conversation to people I know!  (Other author friends tell me the same thing.)  However, I don't mind leaving my card at various places, because I don't feel that I'm making others feel obligated to buy my books.  If they want to buy them, they will.  Of course, if I were more pushy, perhaps more books would be sold, but that's just not my way.

In any case, I like my new business card, so I decided to share it :).

THE THANKSGIVING MEAL

It's no secret to those who know me that Thanksgiving dinner is perhaps my favorite meal of all.  Of course, the food varies across the country, with ham and/or turkey, a rack of lamb, and some veggies and desserts, according to the likes and dislikes of families and communities.  But the theme is always reminiscent of that first Thanksgiving, and I enjoy partaking of it every November as we sit down to fellowship together over our meal.

When they were children, our daughters always dressed up as either pilgrims or Indians for their annual school Thanksgiving dinner, and parents joined them on that day, which was great fun.  There was usually a short program commemorating the first Thanksgiving, with parents snapping photos left and right of their darlings as they performed.  I was one of those parents!

 

What is your absolute favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal?  Our daughter Holly always declared that if we didn't have cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, then the food wouldn't be good!  Personally, I think one must have stuffing, or it just isn't the Thanksgiving meal to me.  Others in the family insist that it's the pecan pie, or the mashed potatoes and gravy (that would be Bethany), or the green bean casserole. 

Whatever that special dish is, everything boils down to the time I enjoy most about the holiday:  time with family.  I am thankful for so many things, but especially for that.

HAPPY VETERANS DAY!

Here's wishing a Happy Veterans Day to all who have served or are currently serving!  We thank you for protecting our freedoms and way of life.

I would especially like to thank my two personal veterans:  my late father, Robert D. Duke, who served in Guadalcanal, New Caledonia, and the Philippines in WWII; and my husband Clark, who served with the military police in Vietnam.

May you have a blessed day, veterans.  Many restaurants here in Georgia are offering free meals to veterans, and we are going to partake later today.  What a nice gesture!

THANKSGIVING IS MY FAVORITE!

Of all the holidays, Thanksgiving is my favorite!  It is family oriented, God oriented, and one of the few left that can actually be relaxing.  I love the message of Christmas (Christ's birth), and Easter (Christ's resurrection), but they have become so commercialized. 

That is not to say that their messages are any less sacred to me and my family, of course.  We celebrate them because they are sacred holidays, not because of all the other trappings.  Nothing wrong with Christmas trees or Easter baskets--it's just that in our family, we want to celebrate the true meanings of these wonderful holidays.

You'll see more posts about Thanksgiving, so indulge me this month. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, FOLKS!

MOMMY, CAN I??

The look on the doxie mama's face is priceless--I've seen that same expression on human mamas' faces when their offspring kept begging to do something.

Dogs are more like us than we realize . . .