Tuesday, June 2, 2009

jasmine, a love story

i received the following in an email from my friend sheila. it is a beautiful story of love:
Jasmine
In 2003, police in Warwickshire, England, opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog It had been locked in the shed and abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished, and had clearly been abused.
In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a Greyhound female, to the nearby Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, run by a man named Geoff Grewcock and known as a willing haven for Animals abandoned, orphaned or otherwise in need. Geoff and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims to restore the dog to full health, and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved.

They named her Jasmine, and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home.

But Jasmine had other ideas. No-one remembers now how it began, but she started welcoming all Animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It wouldn't matter if it was a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or, any other lost or hurting Animal, Jasmine would peer into the box or cage and where possible, deliver a welcoming lick.
Geoff relates one of the early incidents. "We had two puppies that had been abandoned by a nearby railway line. One was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross. They were tiny when they arrived at the centre and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee. Then she fetched the other one and sat down with them, cuddling them."

"But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them and it helps them to not only feel close to her but to settle into their new surroundings.
"She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits and guinea pigs and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose."

Jasmine, the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the animal sanctuary's resident surrogate mother, a role for which she might have been born. The list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she has cared for comprises five fox cubs, four badger cubs, 15 chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and 15 rabbits.

And one roe deer fawn. Tiny Bramble, 11 weeks old, was found semi-conscious in a field. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled up to her to keep her warm, and then went into the full foster mum role. 
Jasmine the greyhound showers Bramble the Roe deer with affectio
 "They are inseparable," says Geoff "Bramble walks between her legs and they keep kissing each other. They walk together round the sanctuary. It's a real treat to see them."
Jasmine will continue to care for Bramble until she is old enough to be returned to woodland life. When that happens, Jasmine will not be lonely. She will be too busy showering love and affection on the next Orphan or victim of abuse.
From left, Toby, a stray Lakeland dog; Bramble, orphaned Roe deer; Buster, a stray Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; Sky, an injured barn owl; and Jasmine with a Mothers heart doing best what a caring Mother would do. Such is the order of God's Creation.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Phat Fiber Sample Box: 1,000 Petals and *Giveaway*


Floating Chocolate - Merino/Bamboo Roving
These are just a couple of products you can find at 1,000 Petals by lotusjulie.  she caters to spinners and nonspinners! GO SEE!!!

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Mama's Money Savers giveaway


mama's money savers is giving away this stuffed cutie, norman phartephant. who farts! i don't know how much kids will like him, but a have a husband who would love him!

How did Norman become so Gassy?
Norman PhartEphant™ is an African elephant that was adopted by a US zoo. The dietary changes in the transition caused unexpected gastric effects. There is more to Norman than just gas! 
 
Norman makes a great present!
Norman is more than just a farting plush! By giving Norman as a present, you are also giving presents to a few child-oriented charities!  Check out Norman's Story & Friends!

and enter the contest here.

phat fiber give away


yarn...beautiful yarn! if you gotta have it go to phatfiber and enter. i did! o, desert garden farm does batting too for those who want skinnier yarn.

wish list

sideshowmelody, a ravelry member, came up with 8 items. before she challenges me, i am going to see what i can come up with.
  • mysy pup's hips to get better
  • for charlie to be well enough for us to get back to the swimming pool!
  • for the folks i am praying for be relieved of cancer, and i accept what that means.
  • a vehicle that will carry my new wheel chair and me around!
  • for people to realize that homosexuality is not contagious so they are safe to vote for the equal marriage act.
  • for people to stop being afraid or breeding fear and start loving and teaching love.
  • i could paint the things i see and have them come out the same
  • the metabolism would return to all of us have become heavier than they wish (like me)

Friday, May 29, 2009

BROWNIES can you resist?



brownies...chocolate...i want them!!! so what did i do? i entered mommy i'm hungry's giveaway! at this link. i mean, can you look at these and not drool all over your keyboard. i couldn't!

pictures + critters = awwww!

thank you for saving me and my babies!
a roll in the snow is so much fun
yes we are the stars on animal planet
thanks for the new litter box...that other one was really too big!
i'm not danger now but try this in the future....
this chair is too small
mommy said to wash my hand and face before dinner
small ball in the corner pocket
what can i do, they think i am their mommy
why me!!!
new game, the bunny clap
my, what big eyes you havewe get by with a little help from our friends
i was so hungry. so full. neee sleeeepppp.....
hey, he goes faster than i do!
yawn...i am soooo tired.
would you stop following me, i have cat friends!!
remember what i look like now and you will never want to turn me into easter dinner
he is so loving, i just had to stay...great snuggler
no, no, i'm safe, i won't fall off
we are the mask marauders!
i am so shy! i pray a lot! they say you should cover your mouth and nose when sneesing

and now i am going to beat you again. lovely lady

Thursday, May 28, 2009

ten things that make me happy?

another blogger, jessica, challenged me to answer the above question. this is my attempt to answer (no order):

1. my dogs make me happy.  they are so full of joy and so smart and loving,

2. yarn makes me happy...the feel, the colors, what you can turn it into.

3. clouds make me happy. sometimes they glide across the sky. sometimes they billow up. sometime they have pink bottoms from the sun.  have you ever been flying and seen a lighting strike through them? the strike casts a golden hue to the clouds close by.
4. flowers, especially wild flowers make me happy. i love to take drives out during spring and see untouched area splashed with colors from the different blossoms.
5. photography makes me happy. mine and other peoples. these were done by a couple of friends of mine. they all make me feel and think...what a good thing. kristina did the first two and chris did the other.

6. rainbows make me happy.  i have seen some that go straight up and then rise. one of the reasons charlie is so great is he understands that rainbows require watching.

7. a full moon makes me happy. especially the beautiful harvest moons! they are always so big and colorful.

8. seeing grown men hug one another makes me happy. fathers and sons and grandsons. old friends reuniting. (of course i am glad i am not a man during one of those hugs with all the back pounding! ouch!)

9. being alive makes me happy. it is so much fun beating the odds!!

10. my husband's love makes me happy.

what is a phat fiber sampler



i had to add this site to my blog list. after you read the following i  think you will understand. it is a direct copy of her words and some pictures (link):

The Phat Fiber Sampler box is a way for independent fiber, yarn and related needlecraft companies and artisans to promote their products through a tactile goodie box that goes on sale once monthly. Our contributors get exposure while the consumers get to handle and experiment with products before making larger purchases. If you would like to contribute to the box, or are interested in learning more, please contact Jessie at phatfiber@yahoo.com.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

chocolate!!!!

Chocolate Mexicano - Guajillo Chili
go to this site but only if you are so in love with chocolate as i am! it's taza chocolate. just reading and looking around the site is making my chocolate desire rise to an unbelievably high level!!! and they have tea with chocolate blended. the is not a giveaway. i found it thru a tea conversation and just had to look it up. chocolate and pepper. i have heard about it but never had it. but i think i will sometime in the near future. if you have already tried this, please leave me a comment!

or go here
Aztec Hot Chocolate

The Giveaway: lu kels giveaway

Ruby Heart Key Finder-
The Giveaway: lu kels giveaway

lu kels is a boutique. and fun. i see lots of things i would like to have.

Joolwe fun jewelry shopping

18k Gold over Sterling Silver Fancy Cut Peridot Cubic Zirconia Necklace
following a blog line, i found this site. it looked like it could be great fun for someone who likes jewelry as much as i. i subscribed to their email and then went to join them. i got a notice that i would be getting the emails but could not get the submit button to submit me as a joiner. bummer!

i emailed them. they emailed me back. after several of the pingpongs, a marvelous thing happened. i was joined! 

ok, why am i rabbiting on about these folks? because i worked customer support for 20 years. i know what is good, bad and somewhere in between. these folks are very good. so if you are looking for jewelry, do go to joolwe. (clicking on the name will take you to them.)

and if you have any problem, know that they will help you out! and tell um spvaughan sent ya! giggle.

give-away-historical romance novel

[easterfield.jpg]
i like books of all kinds and i am guessing some of you feel the same way. so i want to share this giveaway.  the book is a historical romance novel called 
easterfield by anna jones buttimore
what if you are in 1850 england and were visited by the first lds missionaries? to find out, go the giveaway and see if you can win an autographed copy. i am!

Monday, May 25, 2009

heeeellllpppp meeeeee! please!

i think i have about got this linking thing figured out. BUT ...isn't there always...i need help figuring out how to do a blog roll or 3 to make my blog easier to find things on...maybe i need page breaks so i can refer people to different pages. i don't know. 

my brain is fried so i am going to watch some tv and crash! 

nighty night! and don't let the bed bug bite!

our little mystery


mystery pup
Originally uploaded by 
spvaughan













mystery puppy (aka mysypup, aka the midnight marauder) has been at it again. but not as successful as she normally is. she apparently went in search of the forbidden last night.  she found the peanut butter jar.  how do i know? it was on the floor by my side of the bed this morning. ah, but we were in luck! this time she couldn't get the lid off! she is a very talented thief is out mysy. she has been known to find some jar and get the lid off and clean up the jar's contents. on some jars, you can tell how long her tongue is. so funny. especially if you catch her. she just stops. sits. drops what is in her mouth and give you a look of "aren't i the smartest dog in the house. i got it off the counter all by myself,"

travel to fort worth


dsc_0335
photo by susieshepherd

sometimes it is good to go traveling with a native. 

susie  shepherd,  while currently residing the the frozen north county (well, compared with the dfw area it is), is from fort worth. today she showed me her fort worth. i thought you might like to see and read her joy as well. so, go to this link and look at the listing for may 25!