Unconditional Love

"Dogs give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive."

Gildna Radner

When you are sad or happy, mad or joyful, having a bad hair day or totally right day, your dog will always love you. They are always happy to see you! A dog will be there for you when the rest of the world has seemed to move to another planet. They are loyal, loving, and faithful.

I have been blessed with 5 dogs in my lifetime, 5 dogs that I could call my own. Each one filled my life with love. There was Lance, or Sir Lancelot of Peanuts, because my dad would only call him Peanuts since he was the runt of his litter. He was the one that first taught me about unconditional love. When my heart was broken, or I was celebrating a new love, he was there. Even though he was a smaller schnoodle, he stood up to the world, strutting his stuff, and loving me with his whole wagging being.

Then there was Allie, my princess and Lance's surprise "I can so be a father" daughter. Half Lhasa Apso and half Schnoodle, she was spunky and full of life, running here and there, but always stopping for a kiss. She stayed longer than her time so my heart wouldn't hurt any worse than it was already hurting, because of...

Sheba, my lady. She was my protector. Half German Shepherd and half Husky, she watched over her domain with passion, and played with as much passion. She loved children that grew up with her, and all stray animals that came into her domain. Her uncle was known to come and take her for rides, and I swear she would jump the fence and run just so she could get a ride on the way home. She died when I wasn't ready. Allie, old and weak, hung on for a couple of months to help ease my pain.

Then came Puppy - an angel sent straight from heaven! She's the peacemaker, the protector, the nursemaid. She breaks up fights, protects the weaker animals in the family, and is a wonderful nursemaid when someone is sick. In the months before Allie died, Puppy would put her nose under Allie's belly and help her stand up. This is why I believe that she is an angel sent to me!

After Sheba and Allie, I thought my heart would never heal. See, every time I asked God for a baby, He sent me another animal to mother. And now, two were gone in such a short time. I did not know His plans. Maggie was on her way! Maggie is my free spirit! Figured out how to get out of her crate within the first month! Smart, never leaves me alone, needs constant attention, loves to get into trouble, but loves to learn. She keeps 12 year old Puppy on her toes and young at heart!!

If we could only show others this kind of love - what a different world this would be!

Money Saving Tip

Never, ever leave a dog alone with a simmering crockpot. No matter how good the dog is OR how many times you have left them alone with the crockpot before, he or she will someday end up being the worst dog in the world (even worse than Marley).

Our Maggie ate our whole Christmas ham while we were seeing "Marley and Me" on Christmas Day. She took it right out the crockpot, unplugged it, and shared it with her dog mom and 3 brother cats. At least, she had the Christmas spirit.

We came home to a big mess (she got sick), no ham, a burnt nose, and Maggie with a stomach that was twice as big as usual, moaning "I ate too much!" She was so pathetic looking that we didn't have the heart to get mad at her. Come on, we just saw "Marley and Me", and Maggie won the Worst Dog competition hands down!

Food is expensive, and people food isn't good for dogs. So, to save money, make sure that the dog never is left unintended with a crockpot.

Money Making Tip

Blogs! I make money on the advertising you see in my blog. Some advertises pay me if you click on their site, some if you sign up, and some if you buy something. One cool site is Smilebox - you can try it before you buy it! It's a fun site, and has really cool scrapbook pages!

Also, you really do make money with SnapDollars and InBox Dollars. It might not be a whole lot, or it may take a while, but it does work. Try them!

Other Money Making Tips

Home-based businesses - I have three. I sell jewelry (my passion), cooking utensils, and tasty foods. If you would like to hear about any of these, email me. I'd be happy to send you a catalog or direct you to my websites. If you work them, they make money, especially the jewelry. Women love jewelry!!! New catalogs are coming out soon!

Let There Be Peace on Earth

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.

Jill Jackson and Sy Miller

My favorite New Year’s hymn is “Let There be Peace on Earth”. It was sung every year at the church I attended as a child. I learned how to play it on the piano at an early age, and would sing it out, loud and strong, so that the whole world could hear (and tell me to be quiet because my voice wasn’t, well, pleasant to the ear, to say the least).

My favorite verse is “let it begin with me”. How can I let peace begin with me, little old me? Peace is harmony, freedom from conflict. God knows that we are all different, and we all don’t agree on the same things at the same time. He made each of us unique, with our own set of talents and gifts and knowledge. Our being has also been shaped by what has happened to us in the past – some we had no control over, some we chose. Being unique, we will not always agree.

Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek. Oh, how hard this is to do at times. Our tongues are like sharp daggers, wanting to hurt anything that threatens us. This is our natural response. To turn the other cheek takes so much effort and energy.

What I have learned: Pause and think before you respond – count to 10, to 60, to 1 million if you have to. If you personally attack someone's flaws - it does no good, it only hurts the other person. Anger shuts down communication, brings up defenses, and slows down productivity. And many feel terrible that they hurt someone afterwards, and have to make amends. Others try to justify that they were right, that somehow their feelings are more important than others. Getting out your feelings is good, but hurting others in the process is not. There are ways to get out your feelings without hurting others.

Things to take into consideration:

Will it matter a year from now? Is it really worth fighting over? Is it petty?

Am I expecting too much out of someone else? Am I using guilt to motivate someone to do something I think they should do? Do I want them to do something that I should be doing myself? Is it the end of the world if this action that I’m mad about doesn’t go my way?

We all have different views and opinions on certain things. It’s okay. Sometime we have to agree just to disagree.

When the feelings are too intense, the hurt too heavy, the anger too passionate, silence is golden. Words on earth will do no good. Only words sent up high will carry any weight.

And sometimes, words should be said in a subtle way, a gentle way, maybe in writing. Right now, I am going through empty nest syndrome, and I’m not even a mother. The tears just keep coming. It’s the holiday season, and I feel so alone. But I know if I say anything, it will be taken wrong, excuses will be made, or I will look like the lecturer, again. So, instead, I decided to write about peace. My time to lecture is over. You are all grown. But I still want to share my knowledge and experiences, and more importantly, my laughter, life, and time. So, I give to you a prayer of peace throughout your life, and a hope that you pass it on to others.

And I ask God to give me peace, to accept the fact that I may never hold my own child in my arms, hear a sweet voice call me mom, pick up the phone Christmas morning to hear “Merry Christmas, mom”, and all the other wonderful things that so many moms experience. Yes, I could have had children, but, having the good Catholic upbringing I had, it was a choice I made, believing that a miracle would happen. It did in you.

So, I will live with the belief I’ve held dearly since I was a child “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.”

Easy Recipe

Chipped Beef Dip

1 - 8 oz pkg Buddig Beef, chopped
2 - 8 oz Cream Cheese
1 bundle Green Onions, sliced

Soften cream cheese. Mix in other ingredients. Serve with crackers.

Time Saving Tip

Instead of folding over the edge of those rolls of big tape (so you can find the end), put a large paper clip on the end. You will save tape and time.