Tuesday, November 29, 2016

FAMILY FUN & HOLIDAYS

My birthday was the day after Thanksgiving this year, so we had a wonderful time together on Thanksgiving AND for my birthday. Here are some photos of our celebrations:


Hubby Clark carving the turkey as
granddaughter Alexa watches


Uncle Kurt preparing potatoes as granddaughter Annika watches

Thanksgiving table all ready for the meal!


Grands enjoying the beautiful colors outdoors

Enjoying my birthday meal

Our entire family enjoying The Cheesecake Factory
for my birthday

My birthday roses from Clark

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2016!


Thanksgiving 2015
Thanksgiving is nearly upon us, so this is the last post I'll have until next week. Yesterday we had a spaghetti and lasagna dinner at our house for our entire family while Kurt and Bethany are in town, and it was so wonderful to have everyone together at the same time!

Today, I am giving thanks that our country has set aside a holiday for Thanksgiving, not only to commemorate its origins of when the pilgrims and Native Americans sat down to a meal together, but a time to give thanks for the many blessings in our lives and in our country. Have I had heartache? Of
course--that's the human condition. God never promised that life would be a bed of roses, but whatever comes, He is with His children and will carry us through. I know firsthand that He has carried Clark and I through two miscarriages, and He blessed us with two wonderful daughters, too. God always keeps His promises, you see. Those promises, however, are in His time and in His circumstances.

Since Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, I want to share some Thanksgiving pictures today:

Family Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving 2011 with Duke and Shadow

Thanksgiving 2012, spending the day with my mom
in her nursing facility--it was her last Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving 2013 at Holly's

Thanksgiving 2014 at Holly's

Thanksgiving 2015 at Holly's--she made most of the food


Wishing you a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving, doxie lovers!


Friday, November 18, 2016

I AM THANKFUL FOR DACHSHUNDS: VERSATILE SILLIES

Somebody's tummy is full and is getting sleepy . . .

Somebody doesn't want to wake up!

Somebody's being silly!

I am so thankful for dachshunds, because they've brought me unmeasurable joy and love!

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

THANKFULNESS: THEY'LL BE HERE TONIGHT!

That's right--they'll be here tonight! Bethany, our youngest daughter, and Kurt, our son-in-law, now travel full time in their RV. They'll be here until the end of the month. Here are some photos:

     


Their RV and their Smart Car, which fits into
the garage area of the Thor Outlaw RV


Their three kitties travel with them, too:

Joey relaxing

Winston trying out the new
kitty bed

Tate enjoying his surroundings

Our family hasn't been under one roof since Christmas 2015, so you can understand why we are all so excited to be together again. Bethany loves southern fried okra, so she told me to be sure to stock up:

Image result for fried okra

And, our Thanksgiving meal is always one of our favorites:

Image result for thanksgiving dinner

I am certain that Holly, Bethany, and I will be sure to do something silly, and the grands will join right in:

What can I say? They got all this from me!
Admiring huge slices of cake (which
they shared) at a local restaurant

The hubbies? Not so much. They're much more "mature" than we women are. But we have more fun!

All in all, we'll have a marvelous time giving thanks and being together.

Christmas 2015


And Duke will be right in
the middle of everything!

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

THANKFUL FOR MY FAITH




Today I want to give thanks for my faith in Christ--He has carried me through dark days and joyful days! I became a Christian at age 28 by accepting Jesus as my personal Savior. I asked for forgiveness of my sins and acknowledged Him as Lord of my life. Such peace, such joy, such reassurance!

My Christian faith makes me a better person than I was, not because of anything I've done, but through the love of Christ. He has never left me or forsaken me; He helps me in my daily walk and my ups and downs, and I am eternally grateful for His love and for my heavenly home awaiting me
when I leave this life.

For those who are searching for that same kind of peace and eternal reassurance, look no further. The Bible is God's love letter to His children, and He wants all to know His eternal plan of salvation. You see, God will always win in the end. He allows us to make our own choices, but He has promised that for those who have turned their lives over to Him, we will be with Him in eternity. What a blessed promise: Romans 3:10, 6:23, 5:8, 10:9, 10, 13. Read these verses to find out about salvation.


I have never regretted accepting Christ as my Savior. My faith sustains me and gives me peace and joy.



Monday, November 14, 2016

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Today I am thankful for my country, the United States of America. Oh, she's not perfect, because we citizens aren't perfect. We've just come through one of the most contentious elections in my lifetime. There are other problems as well, but I still believe that the USA is the best country on the planet.

I have lived in two other countries: France and Germany. I'm not here to bash either one, because they both have wonderful things to recommend them. I lived there as a child and made some wonderful friends of their citizens.

Image result for l'ecole de saint joseph in libourne, franceMy family moved to France when I was four because my military father had a tour of duty near La Rochelle. Since no American school was nearby, I attended L'Ecole de Ste. Joseph, the local Catholic school. I spoke no French, of course, but I had to learn it quickly in order to understand the nuns and students. Several young French students took me under their wings, so to speak, and all were patient with me, because I was the only American student there!

Our landlady, Madame Rue, was quite a character. A widow, she rented her house to our family, and I remember her joking with me. When I was six, I was already as tall as she was! Her home was well furnished, and when my mother was in the hospital for an extended time at the birth of my brother (due to complications), a Frenchwoman was hired to be my nanny. Janine took great care of me, and I basically remember her smile and her kindness to me.

Image result for neighborhood in Germany
In Germany, my mother was impressed with the cleanliness of the country. Stores, restaurants, streets--were all kept immaculate. One thing I remember was the local German candy store that was within walking distance to our home (Army family quarters that were beautifully furnished). Nowadays, no parent would allow an eight-year-old child to walk alone several blocks to a store, especially in a foreign country! I wouldn't have even allowed our daughters, now adults, to do that. HOWEVER, the kind old gentleman who owned the candy store was always patient with me as I decided on what I wanted, and it was often chocolate. You've heard of German chocolate? I rest my case. And of great importance, Germany was the place where we got our first dachshund, Elia: a red standard female.

Image result for standard red smooth coat dachshund
I said all that to say this: people are more alike around the world than they are different. But of course I love my country above all the others! I love our traditions, our freedoms, and our national pride. To be an American has never been a source of embarrassment to me, but on the contrary, I feel so blessed to be an American. God has blessed our country, and my prayer is that we appreciate His blessings more than we have been lately.

I have the freedom to worship and practice my faith, to jump into my car and drive wherever I want, to speak my mind, or not. Clark and I enjoy traveling this great country of ours, because every section has its own distinctions, including accents. We are from the South and live in the South now, and our speech always gives us away.  Holly and Philip lived near Boston when they planted a church there a number of years ago. Oh, we definitely sounded different there!

Kurt and Bethany lived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan a number of years ago as well, and we definitely sounded different there, too!

But we're all Americans, and for my country, I am thankful to be its citizen.


Friday, November 11, 2016

HONORING "MY" VETERANS

Sgt. Robert "Papa" Duke

MP Clark Hinton
     
Happy Veterans Day to all who have served and are serving--and especially to my two veterans: my late father, Robert "Papa" Duke, who served in Guadalcanal, New Caledonia, and the Philippines in WWII; and my hubby Clark, who served in the MPs in Vietnam.THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!




Thursday, November 10, 2016

FREE EBOOK PROMO!

Here's the link for I AM SARGE:


THANKFUL FOR MY HEALTH

Today, my November thankfulness post is about my health: I am VERY thankful for it, especially since I am getting older now. My birthday is this month, too!

Image result for knee replacement scar
Not my knee
The only major surgery I've ever had was my two knee replacements in 2014. Granted, they were doozies, but the knees are a godsend and are working fine with no complications. I am so thankful for medical technology that has allowed me to lead a normal life! I might add that Duke my doxie (with my hubby's help, of course) was a wonderful nurse, staying by my side all the time. He gave me lots of doggie kisses because he knew I was in pain. How sweet is that?

Others have had it far worse than I have, and the ability to walk normally, do whatever I want (I never did climb Mt. Everest, though), is a real blessing.

Those of us with knee replacements are told not to run, though. Drat it! NOT. Fast walking is enough for this grandma, LOL!

There are tons of other things I'm thankful for, but I'll refrain for now and save them for other posts.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Duke, my "nurse" (among other things)

Monday, November 7, 2016

GIVING THANKS DURING NOVEMBER

I'm already behind, since today is already November 7! Each time I post this month, I plan to share something I am thankful for.

Today, I'm so thankful for my family: my husband Clark, our two daughters Holly and Bethany, our sons-in-law Philip and Kurt, and our three grandchildren Annika, Alexa, and Asher. Each one of them is very special to me, and one thing our family is noted for: our exceptional love for each other. There
isn't anything we wouldn't do for one another, and that love has been demonstrated many times over the years. When I was pregnant with Bethany (and was very sick), three-year-old Holly wanted to make me a birthday cake HERSELF. So my mom went to the store and bought one of those stir-and-frost mixes--yellow cake with chocolate frosting, and let Holly make it herself with supervision. Clark took photos of each step, and it was a real blessing to me.

Image result for thanksgiving dinnerWhen I had acute pancreatitis several years ago, I was in the hospital for a week before it was under control and I could return home. Bethany flew from Arizona and stayed with me, cooked me dishes I could eat without getting sick, did laundry, kept the house in order, and generally waited on me hand and foot!

When I had my first knee replacement, Holly came and stayed with me overnight in the hospital, cooked for me, and helped Clark take care of me when I came home. The grandchildren showed me their love.

Clark has done so much for me that I can't even begin to share all of it here--but we've been together through thick and thin, he's taken care of me after various hospital stays and surgeries, and generally been my rock all the time!

Our two sons-in-law have taken up the slack at their homes when Holly and Bethany were helping me, and we appreciate their caring more than they will ever know. They've looked out for us as well, and we call them our sons-in-love.



As we approach Thanksgiving, let's all remember how much we have to be thankful for in America. Is our country perfect? No, because those of us who live here aren't perfect. But God has greatly blessed America, and my prayer is that each of us will realize that in a greater way. Let's all do what we can to make our country more caring, more loving, and more helpful to each other.

Oh, and I can't forget Duke--he's family, too!


Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em.

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