Nina...

This woman's music destroys me... stripped down & bare, emotions raw, exposed... I cry.





Both performances taken from "Live at Ronnie Scott's" (1986 - DVD) feature Nina Simone delivering an intense emotional performance at the legendary Ronnie Scott's in Soho, London on November 17, 1985.

Incomparable! RIP Nina Simone.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

— Lt.-Col. John McCrae
Canadian Military

I've got the blues...

Blueberries, that is!

I was THRILLED when I saw this in my local supermarket this week:

See that label? These berries come from my home... the Okanagan Valley in Beautiful B.C. (British Columbia)!
What a treat. A little bit of home.


A real treat for me is my 2 favourite fruits - blueberries & raspberries - mixed in a small bowl with some fresh cream poured overtop.
Quite simply, HEAVEN! :)

Yummy!

BAF Beach Baptisms!

The day started out a stormy one! Who could have known that it would turn out so nice?

On my way to church, torrential downpours along with a National Weather Service alert had me second-guessing if I should turn around & seek the shelter of my cozy little home. But I pressed on.

At church, people were crowded under the eaves of our beautiful building, all waiting to make a mad dash for the car. I used my BAF greeter's shirt to shelter me, after which it was soaked to the core & truthfully did not offer much shelter during my sprint from the car to the church. Warm coffee & a crowded atrium greeted me as I entered, my jeans & T-shirt soaked through.
When a woman asked me if the beach baptisms were still on, I gave a dubious reply... but Bill Sr. corrected me & said we were still on. At the end of service, Bil & Paul confirmed this by stating that the island hadn't gotten ANY rain & we were still on!

So, out to the beach we went! It turned out to be a lovely afternoon & we had a surprisingly great turnout!

Just as we are made new in Christ when we are baptized, the Lord cleared away the old (storm clouds) & made way for His will to be done... & made CC just a few people closer to being the hardest place to go to hell from (to quote Bil)!

PhotoHunt: Wrinkled

While I know you loathe copycats, tnchick, I had to share my babies after you shared yours (Zoey)! :)
How about wrinkled x 4 !!!??? They're awesome doggies & I can't imagine not having them. A handful, yes... Worth it? Everyday!

This PhotoHunt theme is the perfect title for my blog today... Life has been a series of wrinkles lately!
The latest? The home air conditioner went out today! Not cool (no pun intended) with the humidity we get here. I was resting off a migraine, thinking it was only me that was feeling warm... perhaps fighting a fever. Then I noticed others in the house were as lethargic as me. Hmmm...

I got up to check the thermostat. 84 degrees! Something is definitely wrong. I could hear the fan still plugging away. I listened out back & could hear the A/C unit fan still whirring too. At the urging of some male wisdom, I checked the lines & the one that is supposed to be cool... wasn't! Oh great. A service call on the weekend isn't gonna be cheap...

I called the dudes in... you know! The dudes! The ones that fix this kinda thing, since all my male wisdom was lacking any direct experience. The guy that came out showed up quickly, diagnosed the problem in a jiffy (the capacitor!) & had the part on his truck. Woohoo! It was fixed & back on in no time. Back in the house, I was NOT the only one excited by this!

I have to say, when the guy said it was the capacitor while walking to his truck, I shouted a big "PRAISE GOD!" I was elated, as I knew the cost that could have been quoted might have been more than 10 times what was spent this day. I guess I was not truly a believer though... not yet.  Once I came back in & sat down to check my emails... while the A/C unit was plugging away to get the house back down to a reasonable temperature... I read a blog post by my friend, Janel. Something in me broke... WOOSAH! And in a torrent of tears, RELIEF! I could FEEL that cool air blowing in with the Spirit of the Lord, saying "Cast all your anxiety on me, because I care for you.” (Peter 5:7) Without even realizing the tension I was carrying, it was released in 2 minutes of cleansing tears.

I did a search on what the Bible says about worry & anxiety. Here's what I came across:

1. Worrying Accomplishes Absolutely Nothing.
I don't know about you, but I don't have any time to waste these days. And worrying is a waste of very precious time. Worrying won't help you solve a problem or bring about a solution, so why waste your time and energy on it?

Matthew 6:27-29
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. (NLT)

2. Worrying is Not Good for You.
Worrying is destructive to us in many ways. It becomes a mental burden that can even cause us to grow physically sick.

Proverbs 12:25
Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. (NLT)
This is where Janel's blog hit home...

3. Worrying is the Opposite of Trusting God.
The energy that we spend worrying can be put to much better use in prayer. Here's a little formula to remember: Worry replaced by Prayer equals Trust.

Matthew 6:30
And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? (NLT)

Philippians 4:6-7
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (NLT)

4. Worrying Puts Your Focus in the Wrong Direction.
When we keep our eyes focused on God, we remember his love for us and we realize we truly have nothing to worry about. God has a wonderful plan for our lives, and part of that plan includes taking care of us. Even in the difficult times, when it seems like God doesn't care, we can put our trust in the Lord and focus on his kingdom. God will take care of our every need.

Matthew 6:25
That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? (NLT)

Matthew 6:31-33
So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (NLT)

(above article can be found at: http://christianity.about.com/od/whatdoesthebiblesay/qt/reasonnot2worry.htm)

And finally, this one's FOR my Dad, but also FROM my Dad. It's one of his favourite Bible passages. I read it, as I often do, but in different translations tonight & the one that called to me, especially in light of my "wrinkled" state of late, was from The Message:

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. Romans 8:26-28

I'm listening, Lord... Are you listening, Dad??? :)

JudahFest!

Judah Hoehne is an extraordinary man with an extraordinary vision ... a mission truly sent by God. You see, Judah has Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy, which is a disease that is fatal and has no cure. The prognosis for someone with Duchenne's M.D. is a life to the age of 18. Judah is now 23! He gives all of the credit for his "long" life so far to his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He also says that without the Lord none of this could be possible. Judah justs wants to show the love of the Lord on a grand scale before his time on earth is done.

With that, Judah had a vision to bring a concert to Corpus Christi, Texas to reach the world for Christ. He shared his vision with others and was told to pray. He prayed, but did not know how to start something of this magnitude. This of course has changed! During a revival at Bay Area Fellowship, the Lord began to press his heart to pursue this idea once again. During the altar call, Pastor Bil Cornelius asked for those who wanted to freely give their lives to Christ & who wanted to do His will for their lives to come up to the front. Judah did not go up right away, but the feeling to go up front kept persisting. So he did what any respectable wheelchair bound person would do, he got his dad to wheel him up to the front.

While Judah is still on this earth he wants to share his love for God on a grand scale. The term "JudahFest" is derived from from the Hebrew word "Judah" which means praise! All praise and glory goes to our awesome God!

JudahFest is a free concert to be held in Corpus Christi, TX on September 6th, 2008 at 6pm at Cole Park Amphitheater by the ocean.

The featured artists are: Dove award nominee Group 1 Crew, and Wavorly bringing their radio hit "Praise and Adore." Also, with special guests: White Wash and Ash.

The vision is to not only have a great concert, but to tell those who don't know Him about Christ, and to get them plugged into healthy local churches. This is the first of many outreaches to follow. We plan to put on many, many, more to include other musical artists and speakers.

JudahFest is a free concert, but the cost to put it on is not. Projected expenses are between $8,000 - $12,000. We are over halfway there already ... people are opening their hearts to help us share the Good News of Jesus Christ with all of Corpus Christi! With that said, we would love for you to prayerfully consider bringing Judah's dream to reality. If you would like to donate, please make any donations to:
JudahFest
P.O. Box 271058
Corpus Christi, TX 78427

Judah wants JudahFest to live out His legacy before the world, & as Pastor Bil says: "do our part in making Corpus Christi, Texas the hardest place to go to hell from!"

For more info, please visit the JudahFest sites:
http://www.myspace.com/JudahFest
http://www.judahfest.com (under construction)

Happy 141st Birthday, CANADA!!!

Well, who knew I'd be down here for another Canada Day? Not me! :)
I miss Canada, but never more than on Canada Day! My beautiful country really shines on this day.

One of my favourite things are the multitudes of tulips in Ottawa.


Next year I vow to spend this amazing day at Parliament Hill in Ottawa (the nation's capital), watching the flag raise,

the SnowBirds fly,
& the fireworks over the Parliament Buildings when night falls!





This Canada Day, although still in the US, the most memorable thing for me will be the doorbell ringing & a courier delivering a most important & anticipated envelope... & a symbol of my very Canadian citizenship... my passport!
I'd have to say, that was the ultimate in timing, wouldn't you???

So, to all my fellow Canadians, I wish you a HAPPY CANADA DAY! And to all the rest of you, please enjoy these videos of Canadian pride!

The Canadian anthem in English:


The Canadian anthem in French:


The flight of the SnowBirds!

PhotoHunt: Water

Christmas 2007 in Corpus Christi, TX

Yes, this was Christmas (well, perhaps the day after) on North Beach in CC.
The Lady Lex looks lovely on the left. You can also see my Mom & brother walking the beach. I'm sure the water was cold, but it was just another gorgeous winter day in Corpus Christi.

This is my first post since January... & thanks to my friend Crissy who spurred me to get back on. I hope to continue a tad more regularly again! :)

Remiss!

WOW!  Have I been negligent, or what?  It's been ages since I've posted anything!  I have plenty to post, just no time to do it.  I know family & friends are visiting my blog, expecting the Christmas updates I promised, to no avail!  I'm SORRY!!!  I will work on it.  It's been a frenzy with the holidays, having family visiting, home renovations, throwing a Christmas party, etc... But it's been a great time & worth all the blood, sweat, & tears!  (Proof, via pictures & posts to soon follow... really!)

Wait!  Hold on!  That's NO way to start the New Year!  Let me start again...

HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful 2007 & a great start to 2008 so far.  
My New Year's Day was bittersweet; having to drive my baby brother back to the airport in S.A.
to fly back to the Great White North (sigh!), but so wonderful that he was able to join us for Christmas!  
More on that to follow...

In the meantime, I really wanted to get the word out about the Women of Faith Conference coming up soon in San Antonio!  If you're interested, please let me or one of the other JANES leaders know.  If we get enough women together, we can get a group discount!

Click here to learn more!


Blessings!

Taking the plunge...

Well, I'm going to do it! I've been putting it off for a while... I'm getting BAPTIZED!

I haven't been putting it off b/c I don't want to do it. On the contrary!!! There are actually two reasons:

1. I've been putting it off b/c I wanted to be baptized in "living water."
   Usually, in the summer, BAF has beach baptisms. This year they didn't. Moving into the new building & all that's involved with that has been a very busy time for the pastors.
                                                         
2. More importantly, though, I've been putting it off b/c I wanted to have family present. And this month I do!
   My parents are here for the holidays. Regrettably, my brother doesn't fly in for a 1st Wednesday, so he will miss it, but I'm taking my opportunity & running with it! Carpe Diem! :)
   
   

I want all my church family to join me to support me in this "plunge!"
So, JANES sisters-who-are-reading-my-blog, spread the word & come on out for 1st Wednesday this week.
Come & meet my folks; come & represent my family (as you all are) at my big day! Teehee
This will be my first baptism since I was a wee baby in the Catholic Church.

I hope to see you all there!!!

Blessings...





In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."

John 3: 3-5 (NIV)

99 Balloons

This is the most touching tribute to the life of a child I've ever seen.

The love & adoration these parents bestowed upon this child on a DAILY basis is beyond inspiring.
I'm so grateful I came across it. The example of faith these parents displayed surrounding the birth of their little boy amazes me. They continually recognized God's grace even in their circumstances, which would have been a test of faith to many.

Please watch this video with Kleenex in hand & leave a comment for the parents at their site: 99 Balloons, or go to Igniter Media Group.



And the video of the funeral celebration for little Eliot Mooney again inspires me, by the looks of joy in the faces of Matt & Ginny Mooney as they celebrated the continued life of their son, afliction-free, in the arms of his Saviour!




God gives. God takes.
God's name be ever blessed.
~ Job 1:21

Music Box

I absolutely ADORE this song by Regina Spektor! I first heard it on a recent JC Penney commercial & HAD to know who it was. At first I though it might be Bjork, because you have to admit, there are similarities... Listen for yourself & let me know what you think...


Lyrics:

Life inside the music box ain't easy
The mallets hit
The gears are always turning
And everyone inside the mechanism
Is yearning to get out
And sing another melody completely
So different from the one they're always singing
I close my eyes and think that I have found me
But then I feel mortality surround me
I want to sing another melody
So different from the one I always sing
But when I do the dishes
I run the water very very very hot
And then I fill the sink to the top with bubbles of soap
And then I set all the bottle caps I own afloat
And it's the greatest voyage in the history of plastic
And then I slip my hands in and start to make waves
And then I dip my tongue in and take a taste
It tastes like soap but it doesn't really taste like soap
And then I lower in my whole mouth and take a gulp
And start to feel mortality surround me
I close my eyes and think that I have found me
But life inside the musicbox ain't easy
The mallets hit
The gears are always turning
And every one inside the mechanism
Is yearning to get out
And sing another melody completely
Is yearning to get out
Is yearning to get out
Is yearning to get out

PhotoHunt: Smelly!

Hey! I didn't pick the theme... But I sure did have the photos! These are my friends' (the Tooleys) bullies, giving me some awesome PhotoHunt inspiration! Thanks Tug & Sophie!!! I'll visit again soon...

I don't actually go looking for dogs doing their business to shoot photos of... It just happens sometimes! This is another friend's bullie, Ebenezer, wishin' he had some privacy.


A photo of my Roo as a pup. She had a little diarrhea... Hence, the Pepto pout! You'll note I have a lot on me too. But, it did the trick! :)


Okay, okay! Enough already! This week's theme was fun to do... And I'm done! Teehee

The Old Phone

This little tale was sent to me by my cousin, Kathy. With all the "forwards" out there on the internet, I'd not heard (or read) this one before. I don't know where they originate from, & it's very hard to know whether they are fact or fiction. However, this one I found very touching & sweet, so I thought I'd share... I hope you're blessed by it, as I was...

When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember the polished, old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it.

Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person. Her name was 'Information Please' and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone's number and the correct time.

My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.

I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. 'Information, please' I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.

'Information.'

'I hurt my finger...' I wailed into the phone, the tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.

'Isn't your mother home?' came the question.

'Nobody's home but me,' I blubbered.

'Are you bleeding?' the voice asked.

'No,' I replied. 'I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.'

'Can you open the icebox?' she asked.

I said I could.

'Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger,' said the voice.

After that, I called 'Information Please' for everything. I asked her for help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk, that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.

Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called 'Information Please' and told her the sad story. She listened, and then said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled. I asked her, 'Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?'

She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, 'Wayne, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.'

Somehow I felt better.

Another day I was on the telephone and called, 'Information Please.'

'Information,' said in the now familiar voice.

'How do I spell fix?' I asked.

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much. 'Information Please' belonged in that old wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me.

Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.

A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about a half-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, 'Information, please.'

Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well.

'Information.'

I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, 'Could you please tell me how to spell fix?'

There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, 'I guess your finger must have healed by now.'

I laughed, 'So it's really you,' I said. 'I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time?'

'I wonder,' she said, 'if you know how much your calls meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls.'

I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.

'Please do,' she said. 'Just ask for Sally.'

Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered, 'Information.' I asked for Sally.

'Are you a friend?' she said.

'Yes, a very old friend,' I answered.

'I'm sorry to have to tell you this,' she said. 'Sally had been working part-time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago.'

Before I could hang up she said, 'Wait a minute, did you say your name was Wayne?'

'Yes,' I answered.

'Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called. Let me read it to you.'

The note said, 'Tell him there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean.'

I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others.



Whose life have you touched today???

PhotoHunt: Original

My sister, Jill, is an amazing designer & custom seamstress. These are some of the label tags I had made up for her last year. She works so hard & is the amazing mother of 3 beautiful children. She inspires me!


We're working on a site for her...it's partially up & running...go to Jill Audrey Creations.


Here's some more of her work:
Beautiful plush baby blocks...for decoration or for play!








3 purses she made for me & my friends...We all love 'em & get compliments wherever we go!









A few more styles of bags she's designed for weekend getaways & girls on the go!










The cottage cushions on the left are SO pretty; the custom slipcover on the right is so amazing it looks like upholstery. The sweet girl in the middle is my niece, with a ladybug pillow made just for her!









Tune in after the weekend to see her latest project (it's under wraps until then)...something she made for my JANES Expo!

Roo Devotional

My (very talented writer) friend, Alisa, publishes the Granola Bar Devotional - a book of devotionals, from women, for women - that has been going out quarterly. She's currently compiling enough devos for a year to go in one big book! She's also begun publishing these devos online as part of our JANES (women's ministry at BAF) outreach in order to reach women EVERYWHERE for Christ!

Alisa's been bugging me FOREVER to write a devo of my own. I've had one in my head & on my heart, & have yet to write it. I did, however, have a recent experience that I felt lead to share about...to get the word out about it & also to show how God played a big part in it. You can see my devo on the Granola Bar Devotional site as it was published. Understandably, Alisa had to edit it down just a bit for length (to fit in the booklet). So, I've decided to share with you all my original, unedited devo here... You can see how wordy I am! haha

____________________________________________________________ Roo on surgery day ______________________________________________________

Roo

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been OCD about my routine when I leave the house. This is for many reasons: paranoia about fire (instilled by my Father), being a single woman, & mostly because that’s just my nature. One of the many things in my routine is to pray over my home & my puppies before I leave each day. Not anything huge, just a quick request that God watch over them & keep them safe, healthy, & happy while I’m gone & that He place a hedge of protection over my home. In the past few months, I’ve heard Him speaking to me LOUDLY that He IS watching over me…not anything I can hear, but in signs He gives me. One of the largest & most poignant signs of that came recently…

While leaving for work one day, my oldest dog (nicknamed Roo) was sick. Nothing major, she had just thrown up. I thought nothing of it, cleaned it up & left. When I came home that night, she had again been sick, several times in fact. I had a vet appointment the next morning for another of my dogs, & made a mental decision to bring Roo as well.
When they worked her up, I mentioned that I’d felt a lump in one of her mammaes (breasts) a few months ago, but thought due to its nature it was probably just a cyst. They said they’d check it out. Later that afternoon, I received a call from the vet. Dr Stacy told me that Roo was feeling better & blood work was fine, but she had come back with markers for breast cancer! I was devastated! Roo has been with me for 6½ years, my closest companion through lots of changes while living so far from home. Dr Stacey recommended radical surgery which included removing that breast, the adjoining one, & her adjacent lymph node, as well as spaying her. I agreed immediately & the surgery was soon done. Roo bounced back wonderfully following her MAJOR surgery & has been blossoming under the added attention she’s been receiving.

I, on the other hand, was having such a “why” attitude towards the whole affair…why Roo? Why me? Then, I called my best friend. Someone who’s been a big part of my Christian walk in the past several years, & someone who I miss greatly, as she lives far away. Tiffany said, “Sister, that’s amazing!” Amazing??? She went on to remind me that if Roo hadn’t been sick the night before, I wouldn’t have brought her in that day & remembered to mention the lump I’d felt so many weeks before. It may not have been diagnosed until her next bi-annual check-up. She said, “It’s so God!”
I felt God WINK at me just then. I heard a song in my head that I hadn’t heard since being in the Catholic Church years before: “I Will Never Forget You” by Carey Landry. I looked it up, & it was from Isaiah 49:14-16:

14 But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me."
15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? 
Though she may forget, I will not forget you!
16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.


He was once again shouting to me, that He is watching over me!

Roo’s pathology results came back as a “carcinoma,” a malignancy, but it also showed NO metastasis to anywhere else, & the prognosis is good! Tiffany was right. It was SO God!


Here are the words to that old song:

I Will Never Forget You (by Carey Landry)

I will never forget you my people,
I have carved you in the palm of my hand.
I will never forget you,
I will not leave you orphaned,
I will never forget my own.

Does a mother forget her baby,
Or a woman the child within her womb?
Yet, even if these forget,
Yes, even if these forget
I will never forget my own.


Some information on Canine Mammary Cancer (CMC):

Canine mammary cancer is very preventable.
Dogs who are spayed before their 1st estrus (heat) have 0.5% chance of developing mammary cancer.
Dogs who are spayed after their 1st but before their 2nd estrus have 8% chance of developing mammary cancer.
After their 2nd estrus, a dog's chances of developing mammary tumors increases to 26% & stays there for the most part.
Estrogen is thought to be the main component, as with humans, so even after their 2nd estrus, it's still advisable to have a dog spayed.

If you notice any lumps or irregularities ANYWHERE on your dog, but especially in the area of their mammaes or testicles (in males - ie: different sizes or swelling) PLEASE seek out your veterinarian immediately. Do NOT wait, as I did. I know better now.
Most importantly, please SPAY or NEUTER your pets! This gives them the best chance at a healthy life...not only to control the pet population (also important). We must all be responsible pet owners. I would have spayed Roo after her 1st (& only) litter had I realized the importance.

I've learned my lesson. Let mine be yours!

PhotoHunt: Music

What a perfect week for a music theme!

My awesome church, Bay Area Fellowship, along with K-LOVE, threw a free concert for the public featuring BIG DADDY WEAVE Wednesday night!

It exceeded my expectations... BDW had the entire house on their feet, jumping up & down, waving their arms in the air, screaming along to the words, while ALL ALONG every word that left their mouths (whether singing or speaking) was a testament to their faith.

There was standing room only, even having to (unfortunately) turn away people at the door because we had a packed church!



The BDW merchandise booth was jumping, with everyone wanting something to commemorate this great night with!

As you can see (above), I got a couple CDs & my BDW concert tag all autographed.

As well as a couple of super-soft, very cool T-shirts (right)!
Love 'em!



Afterwards, the guys were SO gracious...hanging around for a LONG time to sign autographs, take pictures, & just generally talk with their fans. And as my friend (& fellow JANE), Alisa put it, any praise given them they immediately reflected back to God!

The guys are also HUGE supporters of World Vision, an amazing organization that does humanitarian work all over the world, & is well known for it's child sponsorship program. The band went throughout the crowd acquiring sponsors for children all over the world right in the middle of the concert. We were able to get more than 150 child sponsorships in that one night thanks to BDW!!! Woohoo!

Sometimes a digg brings unknown treasures...

A friend recently told me about Digg.com. I decided to surf my way on over. I wasn't there long when I came across this amazing story about a flea market find.

The author found an old cosmetics case stuffed with a lifetime of portraits of the same woman, starting as a toddler, progressing up into her 50's. It's quite an amazing collection. Makes me want to know what happened to her... Maybe someone will recognize her...? She'd be about 70 years old now.

Do you know her???

Go to The Boat Lullabies.

I still don't really know what Digg.com is all about, but I'm glad I checked it out.

PhotoHunt: Dirty

When I saw this week's PhotoHunt theme, I immediately thought of these two photos of my sweet niece, Miss Q!

Q not only looks a little like me as a babe, she is also a real character, a true little individual...just like her Auntie! You would think she's a first-born. Well, she is also my God-daughter! (What an honour!)

I look forward to the day when I'm living back in Canada, nearer to her & the rest of my family so she can grow up KNOWING me, not just knowing OF me.

I love you, Q!
Titi Robin
xoxo