My new dog companion Bounce

My sons and I visited five times to three places to pick out an ideal dog companion for me, and we found him. In the shelter he bounced up and down, meaning "pick me, pick me." He still does that.

Above is a Christmas time photo of us, and below Bounce in a favorite spot, looking outside.

At the animal shelter they pulled two of his teeth and neutered him. He is a Chihuahua Terrier mix and was found as a stray and weighed only 7.8 pounds. After a month at my house he weighs 10.4 pounds which the veterinarian says is the ideal weight for him. She said he must have been skin and bones when they picked him up. He looks a lot like my childhood dog, Chili Rey of Martini, a Chihuahua.
He is very Bouncy now and deserving of his name. I love this little guy and so do my sons and he loves us right back. My cat is fine with him, thank goodness.

Merry Christmas to All

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Yes, friends, this is my first Christmas without my dear husband, Will, and our sons and I will spend Christmas together. Hug your loved ones please.

Create an easy-peasy Santa's Chair in December

Thank you friends for all your kind comments on my previous post about my dear husband Will.
Here is a post I wrote in advance so I am going ahead and posting it today.

Here is a useful and free idea for helping Christmas to be a relaxing holiday at your house. Can you tell from the photo that I took an armchair and put a Christmas theme blanket over it? Cathy Messecar wrote, in our Christmas book: "At the beginning of December, designate a chair in a quiet corner of your house as the "Santa Chair." Place a comfy afghan, throw pillow, or even a huge red bow on the chair back. Anytime someone in the family needs a break from conversation, household noises, or the hoopla, they can retire to the chair for a few quiet moments. Yes, moms and grandmas, this can be a ten-minute relaxation chair for the kiddos and for you - a time out to recover from the Christmas bustle, too." Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts: Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holiday." p. 105. And the chair will be a refuge for all including dads, grandpas, aunts and uncles and visiting neighbors.
This is the book we co-authored, by Trish Berg, Brenda Nixon, Karen Robbins, Leslie Wilson, Cathy Messecar and Terra Hangen.
Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts

Sad news about my husband Will

The worst day of my life was two weeks ago, when my beloved husband Will died unexpectedly.
Our sons and I are in shock, stunned and finding it hard to believe.

The above is a recent photo that shows him smiling and in our back yard.
Below is Will with one of his several mountain bikes.

Our sons stayed with me at our house 24/7 for two full weeks, and then returned to their homes and work. It was wonderful to see them treating each other and me so beautifully and tenderly.
They stayed busy at our house doing an amazing job of home improvements including buying a rug cleaner and cleaning the rugs, clearing out the back addition to our house, buying a big shop vacuum and cleaning and clearing the garage, buying and putting up new curtains in the living room, had our fireplace inspected so we can use it, bought me wood, bought me an Alexa Firestick and taught me how to use it (you talk to her and she plays what you want on tv) and so much more. Together we made 5 trips to 3 places for rescue dogs to find me a dog and we found a cute Chihuahua terrier mix at the animal shelter.
I will post more about Will soon, he was a super good husband, dad and very talented and creative.
Still, there is no way around it. We are heart broken. I am exhausted and sad, sad, sad. But Will and I had 45 years of marriage, so we were blessed in that. Please, hug your loved ones. I know you will.