An Empty Spot

Polar has been experiencing tremors for three or four days now. They were affecting his comfort and he was unable to rest at all.  The crying at all hours of the day and night had grown more intense.  The pain meds he was prescribed brought him no comfort.

It was decided, after speaking with his vet, that Po-Po was suffering.  While hearing that made the decision easier, because we never want our pets or foster pets, or anyone else's pet for that to suffer, we are left with an emptiness from all that he brought to our day.

He had tremors until he took his last breath.

He was a very special baby that was full of life and personality.  He never realized he was different, or "disabled," but played hard and slept . . . . well, even longer and harder, until these tremors started.

Sad, sad day.  We all loved him.

Blessed Is The One Who Trust In The Lord

I saw this video clip moments ago of a stranded fisherman as he was being circled by sharks.  A lump formed in my throat as I watched the video.  My assumption was the man survived or Fox News would not have showed the video, but that is not why the lump formed.

I have struggled more with "life" in the last three for weeks than I have in a while.  Mainly because I have not held Christ as my top priority.  Oh sure, I have talked to Him and even read the Bible; but I haven't worshiped Him, adored Him, or even surrendered my time to Him.  

As I watched the video, I envisioned the sharks of life encompassing me.  Be it demonic attacks, consequences of sin, priorities out of wack or just day to day life struggles . . . . . and then; just like the rescuer pulls the gentleman out of harms way, so I know my Lord will, once again, rescue and protect His children.

This video gives me the visual affirmation my soul needs, that He still is on the throne.  

That He knows all and sees all.

Psalm 40:1-5

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in Him.  Blessed is the one who trust in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.  Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us.  None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare."

Father forgive me for not trusting You to provide, You to go before me.  Forgive me for my doubt, my anger, my frustration.  Forgive me for not being patient and waiting on You.  I praise You for Who you are.  I surrender all.  Amen.

The Grace Card

Last Friday night I got to hang out with my cousin and her children.  We went to Hillcrest Baptist Church for their movie night.  Free pizza, drink, and popcorn for the movie!

The movie was, The Grace Card.



I had never heard of it.  Good movie.  Very good movie.  I encourage anyone that is dealing with a bitter heart, racism, anger, or unforgiveness, to see this movie.

In the movie, the Pastor challenges his congregation to REALLY love.

REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, LOVE . . . . . your enemies.

Not just the person that LIKES you.

But, that person that HATES you.

Do you love them?

The Pastor's grandfather gave him a piece of paper that had been handed down from generations that was in a Bible.  It read:  "I promise to pray for you every day, ask for your forgiveness, grant you the same, and be your friend always."

As we left the church that night, we were given, "A Grace Card."

On one side a burgundy cross.

On the other side, "I promise to pray for you every day, ask for your forgiveness, grant you the same, and be your friend always."  with a place for one to sign and date.

I have carried the card with me; and would love to have some made up one day, but since I can't do that right now, I want you to know . . . . .

"I promise to pray for you every day, 

ask for your forgiveness, 

grant you the same, 

and be your friend always." 

Chocolate Chewy Bars Recipe

Not sure if your family is like mine or not . . . . . well, I take that back; there aren't too many families that are like mine; but anyway . . . . . . towards the end of the month monies get tight so I start cleaning out the pantry to make whatever.  Having two sensory issue children, that usually causes issues because they rarely try anything new and if the texture changes; oh heaven help us!  But that is beside the point.

I bought a box of Jiffy Golden Yellow Cake Mix this month to bake a cake.  My grandmother used Jiffy products a lot and always had good results so I thought I would give it a shot.

Just before baking the cake, I noticed a recipe on the side of the box for Chewy Bars.

All I can say is, "OH MY WORD!"

They are delicious!

1 pkg Jiffy Golden Yellow Cake Mix
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 TBSP margarine or butter, softened
1 TBSP corn syrup
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 egg
1 TBSP water
2 TBSP flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8" square pan.  In small bowl, blend all ingredients well.  Spread in prepared pan.  Bake 25 - 30 minutes.  Cool and cut into bars.

Now, my family does not eat walnuts, so I put 3/4 chocolate chips in ours and I cut ours into squares instead of bars.  Our oven cooks at a higher temperature, so I had to turn the temperature down and extend the cooking time.  Just make your own variations based on your own oven.

Anyway, they turned out GREAT!

I hope you will give them a try!

Stacey

Interim Home

I have intended on showing pictures and telling the stories of each of the puppies we have been fostering, and time and lack of discipline has gotten in the way, but, I hope to do better.

The puppies on this post are at my home and available for adoption.

If you are interested in fostering any of them, or making one, or two, or three . . . hehehe a part of your family, feel free to email me at thepadens@cox.net.

This is Valentine!  She is such a sweet loving girl!  We started fostering Valentine when she was just nine weeks old!  She is now pushing 8 months old!  She weighs 33lbs and I don't think she will get much bigger than that.  She is the calmest puppy I have ever been around!  She is FANTASTIC with all dogs and cats!  In fact, when new puppies/dogs are brought in, she is the one I use to introduce them to.  She is amazing with children, but is calm enough for any senior citizen!  Valentine has my heart and my hopes are that she will be a part of a home that will love her for life!  Valentine's previous owner did not care for their mommy well and let them sit in a  hole.  If not for the love and protection of their neighbor, they would have drowned during a rain storm when the hole they were delivered in flooded!  Valentine's adoption fee is $95.  She is up to date on all her shots, including Rabies and she has been spayed.  You may contact me at thepadens@cox.net if you are interested in her and I will put you in touch with her owner, as well as schedule a time for you to meet her.  

This is Polar!  We call him, "Po-Po!"  He answers to both.  Polar's mother had a horrible virus that she passed to her four babies during nursing.  She and three of her puppies (Polar was one) suffered from seizures.  Two babies did not make it; but Polar did!  Because of his seizure he has lost some vision.  His eyes react to light, but an object must be moving in order for him to see it.  He is also wobbly and clumsy; BUT, that does NOT stop him from trying!  He runs and plays and does his best to hang with the big kids, he just sleeps a little more!  Polar will always be small, but he has grown more than we thought he would!  At 4 months old he only weights 11lbs!  Polar is struggling with being house broken; but we are working on it!  All Po-Po wants is to be loved, lay in your lap and lick your face!  Polar is available for adoption through SouthBARK Animal Rescue.  To receive an application to adopt Polar, you may email Adopt@saveasoutherndog.com or if you are interested in fostering one of our many dogs in boarding, you may email Foster@saveasoutherndog.com.

This is Happy!  Happy is a 4 year old lab mix.  Happy is great with children and does well with older dogs.  Happy does not like to be jumped on by puppies or hyperactive dogs.  Happy is playful, housebroken, and loves to be near you.  Happy is crate trained and trust me, he loves his crate!  Happy is happiest when he is greeted in the mornings or when you take him outside to go potty!  I have never seen a dog dance, but Happy dances with excitement!  We have only been fostering Happy for three weeks, but he has already brought great joy to our home.  Happy is available for adoption now.  As I type this, he is nudging my arms for attention :)  Happy is up to date on all shots and has been spayed.  His adoption fee is $95.  You may contact me at thepadens@cox.net if you are interested in adopting Happy.  I will then put you in touch with his owner.

This is precious Shelby.  Shelby belonged to an elderly lady.  She was outside all the time.  The elderly lady's son was supposed to be taking care of his mother, the house, and the dog, but he did not do that.  She lost her health, her home, and Shelby.  A neighbor went over and cared for Shelby for a week.  She gave Shelby her booster shots, and started them on a dewormer.  She eventually took Shelby to her house and cared for her there.  Shelby was brought to me for a hopeful adoption to a senior adult.  That adoption did not go through, so we have decided to continue fostering her until she finds her forever home.  Shelby is great with cats and other dogs; but she does not want young children climbing on her or other dogs.  Shelby loves treats and sneaky snacks from whoever is cooking, and I did find out that Shelby LOVES PINEAPPLE!  How funny is that!?!  We do not know exactly how old she is, but we suspect she is over 10 years old.  Shelby does have all her teeth.  Her hearing is good (other than having selective hearing, but I guess at her age she has that right!) and good eye sight.  Shelby is up to date on her shots and has been spayed.  If you are looking for a more mature, calming pet to add to your family, you will not be disappointed in this jewel!  If you are interested in adopting Shelby, please email Adopt@saveasoutherndog.com and fill out the application for adoption.

Oh my goodness!  This is Wilbur!  The picture says it all, doesn't it?!  Wilbur LOVES the water!  With the Florida heat, we try to keep lots of water on hand, but nothing prepared me for this!  I had to grab the camera and FAST!  Every day fresh water goes in the turtle, and every day, Wilbur goes for a swim ;)  Wilbur is approximately 6 months old.  He is up to date on his shots and has been neutered.  Wilbur is excellent with ALL dogs, and does great with my children, but likes to chase the cats.  Wilbur would be content just lying in your lap as long as you will let him.  Wilbur is a doll.  We don't know anything about Wilbur other than he came from Fayetteville, GA and was pulled with only 12 hours left to spare before he would be put to sleep.  Wilbur is ready to meet his forever family!  His adoption fee is $95.  You may email me at thepadens@cox.net if you are interested in adopting Wilbur.  Below is another picture of Wilbur so you can see his beautiful face!

Friday night, on the way home from taking 13 dogs to Atlanta for a Maine transport, we received word that a momma dog had been shot at.  They didn't know if she was dead or alive, but she had 12 babies that were 3 days old.  Between myself and another foster, we split the 12.  Today, the babies are 11 days old!  Their eyes are not open yet and their little ears are starting to unfold.  They are starting to go potty by themselves (it's the little things that make you happy!) and are learning to walk.  We were supposed to have them for just 24 hours, but it has turned in to a week, as of today.  The rescue is currently looking for adopters and/or a puppy rescue to take the puppies.

I have several puppies we have fostered that have already been adopted.  In the coming days I will share those as well.  Our family has truly been blessed by sharing our home with these amazing animals.  My children help pick up poop, bathe, and love on these babies and my husband is up and down with them at various hours of the night.  It has definitely been a team effort and has been a true blessing to my heart.

If you are interested in fostering, please contact me at thepadens@cox.net.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Meet Happy!

Alright guys, I need your help.

We have been fostering this precious 4 year old lab mix dog for three weeks now. 

His name is Happy and if you could see him dance, then you would understand why! Our family fights over who gets to let him out of the crate be

cause he is such a sight and lover!  Yes, Happy is crate trained and often takes naps in his crate just because he likes it!  He is also completely house broken and tells you when he needs to go out by standing at the door.

Through Happy's transitions, he has become frustrated with the other dogs we are fostering, which are all puppies (under 9 months of age). 

Happy needs to be fostered by someone that has only one or two dogs that won't be jumping all over him. 

He is GREAT with children and just wants to be loved. If you are interested in fostering Happy, or even adopting him, would you please email me at thepadens@cox.net?  

He is up to date on all shots, spayed, and is in great health (besides being a little over weight). 

Also, PLEASE HELP spread the word about Happy and share him with others on your blog or fb page. 

If you foster, the owner of the dog will provide transportation to you, food for Happy, and vetting.

If you are interested in adopting Happy, his adoption fee is $95, which covers all his vetting bills (which are obviously well over $95!)

Thank you!