Finally… Our Christmas Vids! by Gimli

Grammy has been so busy that she is WAY behind in getting these things done to show you, but since we PROMISED, we finally were able to herd her into getting the job done. Also, we had to wait until GrandPaw Robert could go into town to upload them into YouTube so we could post them, because, even though Grammy TRIED, Blogger refused to let her upload them through either Explorer OR Mozilla!

We woke up on Christmas morning and GrandPaw Robert got out his gifts for Dott and Mercy first. Papa was eating, so Mercy was a bit distracted as she wanted to make sure the rest of us didn’t get something she wasn’t getting…

Dott really liked HER squeaky lamb bone.

AND Mercy’s Tuggy Lizard… THAT made Mercy mad and she wanted it back later, when her Mama was playing with it!

After GrandPaw handed out their toys, he handed out the toys that Santa had gotten us! Unca BG got a Squeaky on a Rope w a ball, Grandma OC got a Squeaky Hamburger, and we got Ball colored Squeaky bones.

We all got to play with all of the toys! I herded a bunch of the toys onto my blanket, to keep them from getting away, but Mercy decided SHE wanted some of the toys I had carefully gathered up and we had a tug-a-war. Grammy got to laughing really hard because Mercy’s ears reminded her of a bat trying to take off in flight!

Santa brought a BROWN bunned hamburger for Grandma OC and a GOLDEN bunned hamburger for Mama Dott, and there was a bit of a tiff over a misunderstanding about which was who’s. GrandPaw explained it to Mama Dott, finally. Grandma OC really LOVED her hamburger and since she had taken her medicine, she was feeling pretty good and played with it a lot.

Grammy wouldn’t let us open our own presents because she says we need to learn NOT to tear paper up and she didn’t want us getting the idea that it was ok to do that, and that’s why GrandPaw handed out our gifts. After all our toys from Santa were handed out, we all got to play with everything for a while.

I started carefully herding those toys back to my blanket, but GrandPaw came and scattered them again. THEN, Grammy sent GrandPaw Robert in to get the gifts she and Papa had gotten us! It was a BIG BAG of TREATS!!! There were all kinds and we got so excited we were jumping all over the place.

We got a couple each that morning (a small chicken breast piece and then a larger chewy one) and still have some left even now! Yummy!!!!

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse of our Christmas morning! We are having a blast with our gifts… at least the ones that are still stuffed and squeaking…

Our Christmas Card...

T'was the Night Before Christmas in Corgi Country by Robert Brock

HI, Dott here...I just wanted to tell you what I have just seen...

T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the country
Not a creature was stirring, not even a Corgi.
The frapping was done, the place covered in hair,
Puppies hoping that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

The pups were nestled all snug in their bed,
While visions of jerky sticks danced in their heads.
Papa and Grammy were struggling for room,
Thinking of corgis going zoom, zoom, zoom.

When out in the pasture there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away out the door I flew like a flash,
Tore up the yard to check my bone stash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my chorgi eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old driver, corgi lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than birdies his sled team they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the fence, and over Cory’s stall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves before the winter storm fly,
When they met with an obstacle, they took to the sky.
On up to the house-top those swift reindeer flew,
With the sleigh full of Chew Toys, and St. Nicholas too.

Then with Corgi ears turning, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I trotted inside, with hardly a sound,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Chew Toys he had on his back,
And he looked like my dad, carrying his back pack.

His eyes-were like Papa’s- twinkling and merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His smile drew his mouth into the shape of a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a bone I held in my teeth,
As thoughts encircled my head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger inside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Merry Christmas, dear furiends and to all a good-night!"

Dott’s Favorite Things By Dott & Robert Brock

I have been trying for several days to get Grammy to post this, and if you are a fan of me on FaceBook you have already seen it.

(Sing to the tune of “My Favorite Things” from “The Sound of Music”)

Small puppy noses and handfuls of jerky

Nice, soft squeakies... did I mention the jerky

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things...

Yummy cheeseburgers and small pasta noodles

Mashed potatoes and funny cut poodles

A big hunk of steak and fried chicken wings

These are a few of my favorite things…

Hiding things deep

In my stashes

Begging and batting

My big eyelashes

Nice comfy beds without metal Springs

These are a few of my favorite things

When the pup nips

When they leave me

When I'm feeling sad

I simply remember my favorite things

And then I don't feel so bad.

Dad Got ME a Christmas Present... by Dott

My Dad got me a Christmas Present!

I wonder what it is?!

He put it under the tree RIGHT BY MY CHAIR!

He said I couldn’t have it until Christmas!

It smells SOOOooo interesting!

Do you think that’s FAIR???

P.S. Grammy wrote a poem dedicated to those of our loved ones (two-legged & four-legged) who have gone on ahead of us because there has been so many lately. It's called "Garden of Love," and she posted it on her blog: A Country Grammy's Walk With God, if you are interested in reading it...

Thankful Thursday…By OC

Mom wanted to take a few words to thank Susan at Corgi Dog News, and Angela at West Virginia Treasures, for the wonderful gifts she won in their Blog contests a couple of weeks ago. She wants to apologize, too, for taking so long to get this up, because she really LOVED everything, and appreciates the friendship of these wonderful women and the encouragement she has gotten from them through their blogs and emails.


Mom reads a lot and the tag bookmarks she got from Corgidogmama are really cute and will definitely get plenty of use. The Christmas card was great, too! The Andes Mints have been GONE for awhile, as they are one of her favorites

Pout… WE didn’t even get a taste of those! Something about chocolate and dogs…? But not even a TASTE? :(

She used the snowflakes and red boot Christmas Stocking that she got from Angela, as tree decorations. You can see them in our Get R Done post for Expressly Corgi's Meme for tomorrow on Grammy's other blog, A Country Grammy's Walk With God. The Reindeer scissors have been invaluable because her other scissors had gotten bent and couldn’t be used anymore, and you KNOW how much you need scissors for this time of year especially! We couldn’t have made the REST of our decorations without them!

Christmas Tea Message continued...

As promised, I'm going to let my Mom finish sharing the message she believes God gave her . It seems that I was right about letting her share it, as I've had lots of comments for her about it. Hope you like the rest of it as well, and that it touches your heart with God's love for you, as much as my Mom touches my heart with her love for me.

Thank you all for your comments, and thanks, OC, for letting me have this opportunity to share. Today I want to finish the subject I started yesterday … how people and God’s promises are often like roses...

People have a tendency to want to do things their own way… force open the rose before it is time for it to bloom, but when we do, we really mess it up. If we do mess things up, but turn and ask God for help, He will graciously come and do a miracle for us a lot of times, IF we humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, repent, and turn from our sins. Remember, sin is doing what we aren’t supposed to do according to God’s Word, OR not doing what we ARE supposed to do.

Wouldn’t it be better to follow Him from the beginning, and “let the rose open” in HIS time instead of messing things up first and THEN asking for His help.


If you have a Rosebud that God has given you… a person that He has given you to love; a friend, child, husband, etc., that you want to see in full bloom NOW, remember the Rose of Sharon that was given to Mary… He grew in God’s time… He had to FEEL the thorns to know what they feel like to us, and He is STILL patiently waiting on GOD’S time to receive the fulfillment of HIS destiny… To become that King that will bring peace to this world…


It must be hard for Him to see all the sin and suffering that is going on down here, but Jesus is waiting until God is ready to take the Roses from the garden in this world to the banquet feast of Heaven…


We need to trust God to bring that Rosebud that we love to its full bloom… We are the gardeners and caretakers, as the first man was in God’s garden… Maybe we were always meant to be caretakers of the things that God gives us to do… We are to: water by giving them the living water of life (through our modeling), feed (by teaching them the Word of God), and pull out some weeds (like when our kids are little and we are bringing them up before they leave our care).

One thing, though, that we need to remember, is that God said that once the weeds have grown up with the wheat and become part of the field, HE will do the reaping and separating in their lives. All children will sin and have to make their own choices as they grow up, but even after they leave OUR care… they never leave HIS!

We are to continue to do our part of the job: water -- feed -- care for (show HIS love through our lives) those Roses. We need to be VERY careful about pruning (judging), and let the MASTER gardener do that part of the gardening.

Sometimes, as we tend the Roses that God has given us to tend, we may get pricked by the thorns, but that doesn’t mean that we should quit tending them… They still need the water and food of God’s love to come to full bloom. This is very important to remember, especially if you do foster care.

Roses are beautiful when they are cared for properly. Wouldn’t you love to be able to put a beautiful Rose, or two… or a dozen… in our Lord’s hands…when He calls us to that Heavenly Banquet?

Roses are to share as well… Once they have bloomed in our hearts… like the promises of God’s Love, Joy, Peace, the gardener usually gives them to others to enrich their lives.


Go and pour out the perfume of the Rose of Sharon on those lives He brings to you, and don’t show them the thorns of self…

Mom's Christmas Tea Message

Look... My Mom drew my picture!

Today, I decided to let my Mom share the message the Lord gave her for the Ladie's Christmas Tea at her church. Actually, it was a bit long, so it may take a couple of days, but she really worked on it for awhile and so many women said that it touched them, so I thought she should share it. Hope it speaks to you, too.

Our Women’s Christmas Tea was a very nice evening. There were a lot of close friends and family which was good because it was the first time I'd ever spoken to a group. They had asked me to present a message and this is what I feel the Lord had me share with them.

The message was about Roses and how God’s people and His promises to us are a lot like them. Roses come in many different kinds, each being beautiful in its own way. Roses, like people, have different looks and colors, and most of them have some thorns which are there for their protection. Often people develop thorns to protect themselves through life. Sometimes it is because of the abuse or neglect of others in their lives, and sometimes it is because of the trials of life… our environment, illnesses or accidents that happen. People tend to use their thorns keep others away so that they don’t get to close, and maybe hurt them again. The people who care for them must learn to work carefully around people like that, and ask for God’s wisdom, love and patience to help them grow into the beautiful roses that God meant them to be. I especially found this to be true with many of the foster children we have had in our home.

Roses come from many different places, like people’s different cultures. They are developed in many different types of soils, some being healthy or like a “hot house” environment which tends to grow delicate blooms and some in poor soil which tends to develop blooms that might not be as frilly to look at, but often end up hardier and stronger.

One thing that is interesting about roses is that they can’t be forced open ahead of time, or they will die. When we have children, friends (either old friends or new ones), or even enemies, we need to live a life that will leave a beautiful scent that will draw them toward God through the example of our lives, instead of trying to force them to be what we want them to be when WE want them to be that way.


Forcing “the rosebud” will cause it to die or not reach the full potential that God meant for it to have. It is often hard to wait for God’s timing, but He always knows what is best. He will lead us, and/or those we love and care about, or show us the way to the place that will bring about the Joy, Love, and Peace that He came so long ago in that manger to give us.
Sometimes, the promises God gives, have thorns to protect US from trying to pick them before they are ready… to teach us patience or other lessons we need to learn before we are mature enough to handle the promise. We are God’s children, and like children, we need to mature enough to be responsible when we receive a promise. You wouldn’t give a car to a five year old not matter how much he begged for it (at least not if you are a wise parent) even though you may promise to give one to them eventually.


Some of the promises that God gives us, were given at the time of His son’s birth which I celebrate this season. Other promises that He has given are still to come, like Jesus’ promise to return. The following are a few of the promises we have been given.


Peace: John 14: 26 & 27 The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, which I will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you… Peace I give to you… not as the world gives. Don’t let your hearts be troubled or afraid.


Love & Joy: John 15:10 & 11 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, as I have obeyed my father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy will be in you AND that YOUR joy may be complete.

Our family: Prov. 22: 6 Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (When “old”—not necessarily when a teen, when they are often thorny and may hurt us for a while)


Healing: Prov. 3: 7 & 8 Do NOT be wise in your own eyes! Fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body, and nourishment to your bones.


Mary was given a promise. The promise was that she would bear the Son of God, and that he would be the Messiah. Jewish people, at that time, thought that “The Messiah” was coming as a reigning King that was going to wipe out their enemies and bring peace. They didn’t think about the writings of Isaiah 52: 13 thru all of Chapter 53, where God’s chosen one is shown to be a suffering servant first. These scriptures describe, clearly, Jesus’ life and crucifixion, over five hundred years before it happened. The promise of the reigning Messiah is one that is still going to be fulfilled when Jesus returns.
Still, this must have been very confusing to Mary… King’s aren’t born of poor people… They aren’t born in stables… OR, maybe they have been. Let’s take a quick look at some of the Jewish people’s leaders (God’s Roses…)


There was Joseph, who was born 11th in the line of his family, at a time when the first born was given the blessing. He was given a promise in a dream. He was a cocky, bragging boy, (trying to force the petals…). He had to go through years of prison for things he didn’t do to become the man God used to save His people.


Joseph's story is found in Gen. 37 & 39 – 50. In Gen. 50:20, Joseph says, “You meant it for harm, but God intended it for good. To accomplish what is now being done – the saving of many lives…” Sometimes, God can use the hard things in our lives (thorns) to protect us, as Joseph was protected from murderous brothers when they decided not kill him but to sell him into slavery.
Saul started out as a young man, out looking for his father’s donkeys, when he was called and chosen to be king. He also tried to force the growth by doing it his own way. He never did stop trying, and never turned back to God. He started to consult witches (totally forbidden by God) and ended up being a twisted bunch of thorns. The blooms of his promise died and he ended up insane

David, Esther, Moses… so many of the people God used had lived hard or sinful lives, but were given a promise from God in their early years and after a time… in God’s perfect time… when they continued to submit to Him or turn back to Him when they made a mistake, He came through and they became the man or woman of God that touched the people in their world for His glory.


It probably took Mary awhile to come to understand that God OFTEN uses the simple things of this world to bring about the highest changes. Very seldom, if at all, do people understand the way that God is going to work (or is working) in their lives. God’s ways are NOT our ways… He asks us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean NOT on your own understanding, but in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight …”Proverbs 3: 5 & 6


This is getting pretty long for tonight, so I will try to finish it up tomorrow. I hope it is making sense… This message really spoke to me and touched my heart, and that’s why I wanted to share it with you. Have a wonderful day with the roses in your life…