SimplyLife

"But, Mom the puppies are really cute. I'll take care of it. Honest. We need a dog. I'll walk him and feed him. Pleeeeeese, can't we get a puppy?" The age old parent-child exchange about getting a puppy. The big decision to bring a baby canine into your family. How the passionate promises of feeding, walking, and cleaning up after the puppy pour so easily from your child's lips. You know, however, you'll be the one doing all of the above and more.  Of course, puppies are adorable, soft, cuddly, entertaining, annoying, labor intensive, and sleep disrupting. But, most likely you'll cave and get one anyway. Companion dogs are members of the family, and the puppy you add to the mix needs to be a good fit. Emotions run high over that furry, roly-poly critter whose antics can melt the heart of the stone. Take a deep breath and do your homework before making the commitment. Don't get a puppy at Christmastime. The excitement of the holiday will make it

There's a fire in mountains to the west of our house. The smoke is billowing out of the canyons on the other side. It's gone from four acres on Sunday to over 300 acres this afternoon, and it's zero percent contained. With tinder dry conditions, very rugged terrain, 11 per cent humidity, and 20 mile an hour winds, it's a challenging environment to try and control the fire. Some areas west of us are under pre-evacuation advisories, but I'm praying that the extra fire crews and equipment coming in tonight will be able to get the fire under control.Three years ago we went through an evacuation because of a horrific wildfire. We were evacuated for five days and we were thankful the fire was stopped less than a mile from our house. Evacuation is not a lot of fun and is scary, but I learned about the importance of the "Go Bag." I'll share some tips to get organized in case you ever have to evacuate for any reason--hurricane, flood, tornado, fire, earthquake

A lot of time can be spent or lost, depending on your perspective on social media. It's interesting to note that most people spend less than 30 seconds on the homepage of any website, but they spend an average of 20 minutes at a time on Face Book. Okay--I'm guilty of spending too much time on FB, but with family and friends spread literally around the world, it's a great tool for staying in touch. However, the abundance of social media has numbed many of us to what's really appropriate to share. The safety of virtual reality allows us to be rude, way too opinionated, downright foolish in what we write on our walls and the comments we leave on friends' posts. I've witnessed some ugly verbal brawls on Face Book which are disappointing and hurtful. Here are some tips to consider before pressing the "post" button on Face Book. 1. Learn about the security features of Face Book and make sure you check them from time to time. Face Book loves to change the

Writing the note of sympathy rates high on the scale of difficulty. We struggle for the right phrases and how much we should say. Even if the sympathy card purchased at the local Hallmark store has an excellent sentiment, you'll probably want to add a personal note. That's especially true if the deceased is a close friend or family member. I can tell you from experience that those heartfelt, short notes in a card mean the world.  Here are a few tips to help you find the right words. First, trust your instincts about what to say. A short note about a happy memory--condensed to two or three sentences may be appropriate."I remember the wonderful homemade banana bread your Mom gave me after my surgery. Her kindness helped in my recovery." Something as short as "our love and prayers are with you in this difficult time," is also fitting. If you're really stuck, check out the link to Hallmark's page for additional help. There are also some words t

 The article below has been getting a lot of hits lately, and I thought it may be time to repost it. A couple of weeks ago, I took the picture below. I thought it pretty much sums up our life journey. We never know what's around the corner for us.  Circumstances change in seconds some days. Whether the circumstances of life are good or bad, we're fond of blaming them for how we behave and think. Here are a few of the well-used excuses:  "I'm a victim of circumstances.""The situation is impossible." "The circumstances are beyond my control." "Under the circumstances"...fill in the blank. Funny how principles, self-control, and  positive thinking can go out the window when we're "under the circumstances."  And lest you think the author is above blaming circumstances, she is not. I've used most of the excuses above, whether spoken or unspoken.  An imprisoned and wrongly accused Jewish C