Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Thwarted Once Again

I always mean well. Really. I plan to do most of the many things I need to do every morning. But I almost always get sidetracked. Today, it's in my critique of my writing partner's newest work in progress. Michelle Griep, lovely gal that she is, often takes me into the past, mostly England, through via her writing. This time it's into a smuggler's lair. Shhh. I don't know that people know she's writing this one. Anyhoo, I've been cavorting with her characters instead of writing blog posts.

The Beagles of course are doing their part making sure to clean up any breakfast dregs and have any itches scratched. Oh, and bark their brains out at the garbage man. No matter how often I remind them that we pay these men to take our garbage every, single week, they are OFFENDED!

Just a reminder and since I was talking about that co-author chick, there is that little book giveaway happening. Don't miss it if you haven't already signed up. Go to the blue Rafflecopter link below and jump through her hoops! Ready? Go! (Oh, and try to be quiet so the beagles don't lose their minds, K?) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Things I Learned This Morning

I woke up bright and early so I could do a blog post. 

I had no topic. I still don't. 

So instead, I went about my daily ritual on this fine Valentine's Day, 2017. 

I discovered the following: 

On mornings when my beagles get up bright and early with me they are needy. Real needy. It is impossible to type with one hand while the other one pets an insistently-depleted-of-affection dog. Why did they wake an hour early today? Good question. Normally, I'm coaxing, then firmly calling them downstairs to take care of food, drink and other business so I can leave for work. Maybe the siren call of melting-on-toast-peanut butter reached their little dreaming snouts. It definitely wasn't the dry dog food raining into their bowls...nope...doesn't do a thing. I've tried that. However, if I put any leftover human food on top of the kibble it does work like a magic wand at times. 

I learned that even though I can't type a blog post with one hand I can endlessly scroll and click. I discovered a site that shared Valentine's worst/best stories from servers' perspectives. Note: If ever going out for Valentine's Day dinner, treat your server well, you do not know what trauma she or he has encountered that very evening. 

I also found a recipe for chocolate and red wine truffles. The chocolate truffle part I likey. I can't say I've had wine and chocolate together and honestly that sounds kind of yuck. But if it floats your boat, it looks easy and kind of snobbishly elegant. http://www.purewow.com/food/red-wine-chocolate-truffles-recipe

So. Now my pups are curled back up in bed and my time is ticking away. So I'll say happy Tuesday, Happy Valentine's Day and well...that's enough. 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ My Life Today

When you crawl out of your warm nest of a bed because your alarm beeps and you become aware that your bladder is going to explode. Then you stumble to the kitchen to make coffee and your dogs look at you like your insane to be up in the middle of the night and curl back up into their beds. And you go onto Facebook to see what others did yesterday and the day before and last week and a half hour later you realize you have gotten lost and you didn't do what you were going to do when you got up early and that's post in your blog....



Yes. It is that kind of morning. 

So here's the post. 

Serials and Scenarios ~ Wait for it.....OUT OF THE FRYING PAN GIVEAWAY!!!!

Here we go again!

A chance at a free book. Yep. Easy Peasy.

a Rafflecopter giveaway  Disclaimer....trip to Europe NOT INCLUDED!

Just click and go. If you have a copy already, THANKS! But win it for a friend. Or enemy. Or for a random stranger. You could use it to prop a wobbly table up. Bird cage liner?

Regardless of how you use it, just go and sign up. Thanks. And tell your friends. That's all! 

Scribbles, Scrambles and Scrambling

I love my kids. 

Really adore them. All three of them have grown into some pretty amazing adults that I consider favorites to hang out with.  

The past few weeks have been challenging for each of them. We are a little over a year from when our adopting mama daughter got Little Sister in a sudden turn of events. Little One spent all winter and most of the spring with our family and it was such a blessing. She is so missed by all of us. And yet we walk the line of hoping bio mom stays sober and can be a mommy to her and still praying that if bio mom can't that Little One would come back to her Heart Mama and our family. Her picture filled our 2016 calendar and we know that a year after those photos were taken so much has changed. She will have so much more hair, and so much more of life has touched her and shaped her. It was hard to take that calendar off the wall. In a grand show of grace a baby boy has joined the family. This one is a fragile hope. My heart is clutched in his tiny hand. As are all of the hearts. How can a baby with the fist the size of a Nilla Wafer hold so many hearts? My prayer is that he stays and never has an overnight visit. My heart knows that this is a state that is a reunification state. And that he may go the path of Little One. Right now I will love him, snuggle him, pour into him and pray for him and trust that God watches over him regardless of where he will be. 

Our son and daughter-in-law have said yes to foster care and have brought a little sibling group into their home. These two little ones are instant members and full-on love grandchildren. They are a joy. And a source of ache because they, too, are in a reunification situation. Oh, Lord, sometimes loving hurts so much. 

Our youngest daughter had a life quake shake her world. She and our little roly-poly baby boy moved in in November. Not sure how long it will be but we had been making room for our other babies. The nest was ready. It doesn't look good for full healing and restoration, not the way things are going right now. There is prayer, and hope, but there are also human choices and some of them just suck. I'm so proud of her for thinking first about her baby boy, and secondly about the mercy and grace that need to be extended in order for her to feel able to look herself in the eye in the mirror and know she has been above board. She is being gracious and kind in a situation where no one would blame her for choosing ugly revengeful game play. 

So right now we just pull in, wrap our arms around these precious ones and hold tight in the storms. And we remember that we have Christ and He can fill us so full of His love that we can and do overflow with it. What does that love look like? Oh, it's a beautiful thing. It makes people want to risk heart ache for the sake of others. It causes folks to stand up for orphans and the lost. It looks broken souls in the eye and says "You are precious, and valuable and forgiveable." 

1 Corinthians 13Amplified Bible (AMP)

The Excellence of Love

13 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not [a]love [for others growing out of God’s love for me], then I have become only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal [just an annoying distraction]. 2 And if I have the gift of prophecy [and speak a new message from God to the people], and understand all mysteries, and [possess] all knowledge; and if I have all [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love [reaching out to others], I am nothing. 3 If I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body [b]to be burned, but do not have love, it does me no good at all.

4 Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. 5 It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured. 6 It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. 7 Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening].

8 Love never fails [it never fades nor ends]. But as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for the gift of special knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part [for our knowledge is fragmentary and incomplete]. 10 But when that which is complete and perfect comes, that which is incomplete and partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now [in this time of imperfection] we see in a mirror dimly [a blurred reflection, a riddle, an enigma], but then [when the time of perfection comes we will see reality] face to face. Now I know in part [just in fragments], but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known [by God].13 And now there remain: faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish love for others growing out of God’s love for me], these three [the choicest graces]; but the greatest of these is love.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Daffodil's Big Adventure

This is what we all need. http://www.boredpanda.com/cute-zoo-animal-tweet-off/

I had a cute animal vet visit the other day. Poor Daffodil is losing some of her quills. Or lots of her quills. Hedgehogs do a quilling thing when they are young where they lose and regrow quills, like a baby teeth kind of a scenario. At first I thought maybe we were dealing with that. But then I had to do some research and found out mites were very likely what was going on. Poor baby.  

Poor cranky baby. Daffodil is the sharpest and the crankiest of my girls. Of course, if you were losing your quills you'd be cranky, too. However, she's only been losing her quills for a couple of weeks and she's been kinda cranky from day one. Just sayin. 

The vet's office told me to allow time in my schedule to let her come slowly out of anesthesia should that be required at the check-up. Because if they roll up into a hissing crank ball there is very little a vet can do to check them out to make sure all is well. 

Fortunately, Daffodil did not require anesthesia. She did cooperate. The only unpleasantness was a) the pooped in carry bag which probably happened while she tried to climb out while I drove the 5 miles to the vet. Her bristly little head was peeking out at me. You can be certain I carried her slightly differently on the way home. b)The saddest scenario happened though while I was cuddling her when the vet went to check the skin flakes for mites. She was crawling all over me and I think she caught her toenail on a metal zipper I had on my jacket. 

I saw blood on my hand and thought she had stabbed me with a quill. Then I looked down at my shirt, bloody footprints all over it. Sure enough her little paw was bleeding. The vet walks in and recoils. "Augh!!! Did she bite you?!?" He stopped the bleeding and gave me 6 little syringes of topical medicine to get rid of mites. (Three for Daisy because they love to share with their friends.) Her little foot is fine. All is well. 

Already it feels like the loss of quills is stopping. Now regrowing them might get dicey. She may stab me on purpose. Fortunately, she only has a strip of bald sparse quillage. 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Excuses, Excuses

Excuses for why it's Thursday and I am just now blogging for the week. 

1) My dogs ate my homework. 

That's not true. However, I attempted to blog one evening and ended up having to hold my computer on a Beagle's body while it draped snoozed on my lap. This is not a good blogging position and certainly does not inspire creativity. 

2) I was invaded.

Kind of. My house was full of little human beings I love to death who came over to say "Hi!"including a precious little baby who required much eye contact, kissing and snuggling. 

3) Brain mush. 

This is a condition that happens when a 50+ year-old-woman is immersed in much change. Work = switcharoo from independent to corporate. Meetings. New everything. It's been almost a month. I think I understand my duties regarding the computer system. I am very likely deluding myself.