In His Word Wednesday: Isaiah 30:21

Christians sometimes approach obedience as a way of avoiding the negative consequences of disobedience. They see obedience as a burden, not as a wide road to blessings. God intended our walk of faith to be motivated by our love for Jesus Christ. Obedience is about discovering God, not about avoiding unpleasant consequences.

Isaiah 30:21 

Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand and whenever your turn to the left.

When we place our trust in the omnipotence of the Lord and act on His prompting, life becomes wonderful. We need not be afraid of the future because God already knows the outcome of our obedience. We can trust in His promise that He does everything for our good.

Your Precious Pet: Miley the Rat

Please take pet ownership seriously, and honestly share what you know about your pet. I always say, "if everyone would realize that pets are a real, living, responsibilities and not an item that is owned or disposable, then maybe more animals will have better lives.”
I have a sincere love for animals. I love to learn and talk about them. Since I have come to the end of being able to feature my wonderful pets, I am moving on to featuring your precious pets. So grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea, and maybe a tissue, sit back, get to know and enjoy these wonderful blessings we call pets but are truly a part of our families.

This week I'm featuring Miley a black and white hooded rat. She came into Jan's life in 2009, when a young Russian woman needed someone to foster Miley for a few months. The young woman was not able to return and retrieve Miley, so she had a new forever home with Jan. Jan soon found her a friend, Ella. They ended up being tight buds.

Miley loved to cuddle, play tag, and chase, but she had a rebellious habit of throwing her toys and food in her litter pan. She was not a happy girl when Jan removed them either. Jan learned the hard way not to stick her tongue out at Miley because she will bite it! She could easily be won over by offering her favorite treat ice cream cones and whipped yogurt. Sadly, Miley had passed, but she left a print on Jan's heart.

Jan is the owner of the shop RatAttackTeam. This is how she said she came up with the name, "When I rescued my 1st rat in 1998, Rat Attack Team was the name of a rat eradication team in my city. I wanted the name to stand for a positive out look on rats. Since our wild brown rats are legend here because of their size; they fed at our grain elevators. The grain elevator was my first encounter with a rat as a teenager. My logo name is in honor of both rats - Norway & domestic!"

Tent

She started out by teaching herself to sew, because she wanted quality item for her pets to enjoy. The first item she made was a small animal hammock. Now she not only makes quality hammocks, but several other small animal cage accessories.
Hammock

Ratatoubie

Bonding Pouch

You can see more of her products by following these links:
RatAttackTeam @ Etsy
RatAttackTeam Website
RatAttackTeam Facebook Page

New Treasury: Daiquiri Ice

'Daiquiri Ice' by KingMtnTreasures

When I was young my favorite ice cream was found at Baskin Robbins and was called Daiquiri Ice. It was fruity and the most beautiful shade of light teal.

Mint Ice Cream Cell... TheMenu $11.50	Painted wood letter... sERINasCustomS... $33.00	Light Teal Earrings... lv2cr8 $22.00	Door Keyhole Photog... Maximonstertje $21.63
Star Charm 1211-19 MenagerieStudi... $7.00	Seafoam blue chalce... Tidepools $48.00	Sweet Roses Barrett... TemporalFlux $8.00	Goose Biots 1DOZ Se... PluckenGorgeou... $3.75
Ring Bowl ,Lace Tex... efiwarsh $11.60	SALE Whimsical Week... theAdornedPega... $43.50	Blue Bead Bracelet ... LeafAndTendril $30.00	Seafoam Infinity sc... YarnandWhimsy $20.00
Sea Pottery ring - ... SpoiledCherry $10.00	FREE SHIPPING- Vint... craftyMyrtle $6.50	Minty Seafoam Robin... RiverOfRomansk $39.85	Vintage Glass Earri... WishByFelicity $15.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Favorite 5 Friday: Let's Get Colorful

One of my favorite pastimes is browsing Etsy. It's not only a wonderful way to find a fabulous gift or to get inspiration, but also to mingle with like-minded individuals.
I will be promoting (blog, Etsy, Twitter) my "Favorite 5" every Friday, so contact me if you would like me to check out your items. Tell me what you think about these items or share some of your favorites...

Find something you want, just click on the name. Please take time to visit these shops to see all their awesome items.

With all the dreary rain we've been getting, I am in serious need for some happy colors.

This store offer recycled crayons in different shapes. I love these cute little butterflies.
Recycled Crayons


A pretty painting to look at would cheer up any room.
Painting


I like this colorful iPad case.
iPad Case


I love stained glass. I have several pieces haning in my windows and love to take pictures of stained glass windows. This fish catches my eye.
Stained Glass Fish


A colorful piece of jewelry will add pazazz to any outfit.
Vintage Button Necklace

In His Word Wednesday: Acts 16:24-31

It seems more and more people are enduring terrible tragedies in their lives. Whether it is with health, family difficulties, or other areas, many are feeling overwhelmed with the struggles they are facing. God led me to these verses and I wanted to share them with you. When you are finished reading, I hope you are able to sing.


Acts 16:24-31
Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and every one's chains were loosed. 
And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep ans seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.
But Paul called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 
And he brought them out and  said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."


As exhausted as they felt, Silas and Paul could not sleep. Being shackled in prison and their wounds kept them from getting much needed sleep. They had no idea whether they would live to see another day. Yet, in the midst of their troubles, prayers and songs were lifted to the Lord. Praising the Lord in the midst of their despair, the Lord responded with an earthquake, enabling them to be able to share the gospel with the prison keeper. The glorious outcome...the prison keeper and his family were saved.
You have a song to sing as well. Though your situation may feel overwhelming, are you willing to trust God in your circumstances? Do you believe that no problem is beyond His power? As you allow God to conduct the symphony of your life, you will see Him shaking your own prisons, so lift of you voice and sing!

For Love Of The Hedgehog

A hedgehog is a spiney, insectavoiries mammal, not related to the porcupine. There are 16 species of hedgehogs found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand. They are not native to New Zealand but were introduced. There are no hedgehogs native to the United States. The domestic hedgehog can be kept as an exotic pet in all states but 7; Arizona, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, and Pennsylvania. The most common domesticated species is the African Pygmy Hedgehog. It is much smaller than the European hedgehog. Domestic hedgehogs come in a variety of color, and can have patterns such as pinto.

 Adorable Spike.
Hedgehogs should be kept in a well ventilated cage with a solid bottom. I prefer the cages that are for guinea pigs because they have a plastic bottom, not wire, and the bottoms are deep. Hedgehogs like to bury, so their pine chips needs to be thick. Never use cedar shavings as they can be toxic. If the cage has ramps, they need to be solid plastic too. They will get their feet caught in wire cages and accessories. The cage needs to be kept in a comfortable temperature of 65-80 degrees F. A good water bottle will provide water, and a small weighted (to help prevent dumping) bowl for feeding. One of the things I love about these little guys is that they can be litter trained. All you need is a small ferret litter box filled with non-clumping, unscented, dust-free cat litter. I feed my hedgehogs high protein, quality cat food and give meal worms for treats.

Lucy after her bath.

Handling can be a little tricky with hedgehogs, especially a grumpy one. They will roll into a ball with the intentions of not coming out, and pop, hiss trying to scare you off. When this happens, I just scoop them up into a Cozy Sak, and let them sit in my lap. This is a great way to bond, just letting them sit with me while I watch TV or read. They get use to my scent plus realize I'm not a threat, then they will unroll. My son's hedgehog, Spike, has always been easy to handle and tolerates just about anything. If fact he's so docile, we take him to the nursing home for visits. He's always willing to let others pet him. Now my hedgehog, Lucy, was a different story. I didn't think she was ever going to get use to us and let us play with her. But with much persistence, she has become a lap hedgehog, just sitting for hours enjoying our company.

Lucy enjoying a meal worm.

I fell in love with hedgehogs about 10 years ago. We seen some for sale at a flea market in Alabama. I am particular about having knowledge of an animal before purchasing, so when I got home I did some researching. I'm thankful I did too because we lived in Georgia and they were and still are illegal there. About this time last year, I started looking for my son, Aaron, a birthday present. His bearded dragon had died recently and he is an animal lover like myself, so I started researching different pets. Aaron has a lot of allergies, so I had to be finicky about my choice. I knew he would be happy with any one I chose. I finally narrowed it down to a hedgehog or ferret. I had been around ferrets before and wasn't particular thrilled about their odor. The more I found out about hedgehogs, the more I knew what pet he would get. As his birthday approached, I started to panic because most breeders had waiting list. I finally found a breeder who had 1 male that was 8wks old, so we drove 4 hours (that's 1 way) to pick up our little spikey bundle. I fell in love with Spike and decided that I wanted one too. I called the breeder we got Spike from and he was going to have another litter ready in March, so I got on the waiting list. I ended up with a female, my little fat Lucy. Our relationship was  tough at first, but now she is my little lap buddy.

Lucy stretched out in Aaron's lap.

I would now like to introduce you to my two new babies. Yes, I said 2. I couldn't choose, so I got both. These sisters were born September 1st.

This little cutie is Angel. She is an albino with pink eyes. She is a little moody. I will have to be persistent with her and spend lots of quality TV time.

This one I named Annabelle. I got the name from a children's book about a hedgehog. She is a little sweetie, but you doesn't do mornings.

If your considering one of these adorable creatures please read all the information you can find. Not all animals are perfect for everyone. Hedgehog Central is my favorite site with a wealth of information.

Product Review: Hair Bow

I'm always purchasing different items, so I thought it would be a good idea to share my thoughts on my purchases. And what better place to share my opinion than my blog...

There is this wonderful young lady at my church who has the most beautiful blond curly hair. In order to keep it out of her face, she pulls it back on one side with a hair bow. I don't think I have ever seen her with out one and it always matches her outfit. I also know that her favorite animal is giraffes. When I was creating a treasury on Etsy, I came across this adorable giraffe hair bow by Mommy's Little Princess. So I texted her mom to see if she had one, the answer was no. I had to order this bow for her.

My package was shipped quickly, coming to my house within the week. When I opened the package two small items wrapped in pink tissue came out.

I opened one which contained the bow I ordered and a business card. The bow was well made and secure on the clip. It is a good size too, not too bulky or over-powering.

The second package contained a free gift, a small felt flower barrette. It is cute and well made also. I appreciate the free gift, but it is too "little girly" for the young lady who is 17 years old. Fortunately, she has a little sister who is 5 years old, so I passed the gift along. I also gave her the business card since she may want to purchase more bows.

This purchase was a pleasant experience and I would purchase from again...if I had girls.