Play Ball.....

Opening Day for BASEBALL !

 

I am pumped! I so wish I was gonna be at the opening game today for the Texas Rangers....what fun. I do plan on making plenty of games this year. I have already looked at the calendar and decided which games I want to attend - and there are plenty of them!! Who's with me ??

Dogs know...

I am true animal lover - and most importantly I LOVE DOGS. They love unconditionally, always happy to see you and are always there for you. I have 3 currently,(along with 3 cats and a horse and a multitude of cotton tail rabbits that live under my porch!) I have had as many as 5 dogs at one time. When they leave this world, I bury them behind my barn so they are always there!

A sweet friend and animal lover too (Thanks Louise) sent me this. I had to share....

get out the tissues..it's gonna be a bumpy ride 

Lucky Dog....

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and you may even decide you need one!

Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy.   Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.

Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys.  Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease.....in fact;  she was just sure it was fatal.
She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders.   The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky.   A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky?   Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through.

 If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought.  He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him!  The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks.   Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.

Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap..

Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.

 

When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong.   She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot.   But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem.  She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned!

While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.

He had covered her with his love.

Remember.....live every day to the fullest.  Each minute is a blessing from God.  And never forget...the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.   They are the ones that care for us.

If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours!  

Live simply.

Love seriously. 

Care deeply.  

Speak kindly. 

Leave the rest to God .

Mary forgot about dying.   Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day.   It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free.   Lucky.   He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.   Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.'   Lucky was a real character. 

KISS..keep it simple stupid....

One of my favorite TV channels is the FOOD NETWORK. As a general rule, I like to cookit's just that I hate the clean up part, so that sometimes sways me not to cook.
My mom and grandmother were GREAT cooks.
My grandfather was a chef. I never knew him, but heard many great stories.
I would have to say both my boys are pretty good cooks too (part of their "upbringing", along with doing their own laundry )
Maybe that small cooking gene from my past gives me the desire to cook....
I like to keep things simple.

One of my favorite shows is Sandra Lee's, Semi-Homemade. That women is a genius. Today, (among brownies, pizza and sugar cream filled cookies) she baked 72 mini cupcakes, in 3 different flavors, from one box of cake mix. Iced them with 2 sticks of butter, 8ozs of cream cheese and 2 cups of powdered sugar. Colored and flavored with JUICE! Who would have thought. Of course, they were adorable...and yummy no doubt. Being inspired (and easily swayed) I ordered 2 of her cookbooks...I see great cooking in my future - well with a little help from Sandra of course.

I love her 70 - 30 thinking,

70% ready-made, 30% fresh

Life should be so simple......