GROW Books

Lindale Veterinary Clinic Open House

2010-10-19T11:19:00.000-05:00

Lindale Vet Clinic

I'm so EXCITED to be a part of the Lindale Veterinary Clinic's Open House this Saturday between 1- 3 pm!!I will be reading "Greta's Purpose" and "Rudy's Path" around 1:30 and 2:30. This will be a first time for me not to have Greta by my side. But, I think I am going to bring RUDY. This Clinic was so GREAT to Rudy when we lost him for 3 days and found him stuck in a hole with a severe spider bite(s). I would really appreciate any of my local friends to come and support the Clinic's Open House and me as well!

Goodbye our dearest Greta

2010-08-19T15:07:00.012-05:00

This week we are extremely sorrowful for the loss or our Great Dane, Greta Dean. She was our first baby and my heart breaks for her very unexpected departure from our family. Greta would have been 7 in November. While we knew that the life span of Great Danes was shorter than other breeds, we felt like 6.5-10 years was forever in the distance. The thing that this has taught us is that time goes by so fast...too fast.
She was a Gentle Giant who loved us, loved our human babies, and even the cats that she would mother. Greta found her "purpose" in the book I wrote about her ("Greta's Purpose" & "Rudy's Path).......but most of all she helped me find my purpose. We will always love her and miss her greatly.

More Rudy updates

2010-05-03T09:52:00.005-05:00

If you read the post and see the pictures below you will see that our Chocolate Lab, Rudy had gone through quite an ordeal over the last several weeks.

It is so great to have happy endings when it comes to our pets who are also our family members. But, even though we found Rudy he still has had some major challenges to overcome as his body heals from the inside out.

Below are some more Facebook updates that I posted as we went through the days of recovery for Rudy.

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Rebecca Stevens Helvey taking Rudy to the vet :'(

Rebecca Stevens Helvey Rudy may have a bite under his arm (very possible since we found him in an animal's den) causing fever,shaking,swelling & loss of appetite. The Vet optimistic about him getting back to normal w/ the 3 different antibiotics that I will have to MAKE him take. Better Outcome than I was expecting!!!! YEAH! Cross your Fingers!!

NOT FOR THE THOSE w/ WEAK Stomachs!!We took Rudy to the vet again on Friday..The abcess under his arm has gotten so bad that it has eaten away at the skin & hair. Learned it was probably because of Brown Recluse Spider bites.

By far the worst thing I have ever seen on an animal or human being for that matter! Poor Rudy! We finally had to place the "cone of shame" on him to keep him from biting and chewing at his wound.

Rudy Lost His Path

2010-05-03T08:55:00.008-05:00

On April 6th our Chocolate Lab, Rudy went out to play (as he often does) and didn't return home. In the past years he and our other dogs get the itchin' to go on a "joy run" but they all usually return within a few hours. We have 150 acres around us and there is NO telling which way they go.

I was deeply concerned for his well being since he is now older and struggles with arthritis in his back legs. You can see that he is in some sort of pain when he walks..."the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."

I happened to post "status updates" on my Facebook page and to my surprise... I was getting quite a following of people checking on updates for his well being. I am going to post those updates below.

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Rebecca Stevens Helvey My heart is heavy with worry for our elderly dog,Rudy. He's been gone all day...the other two dogs are here at home. We are going on a search for him as soon as Jonathan gets home. Praying he isn't hurt :>(

Rebecca Stevens Helvey Just want to thank my dear friend Kelley Ramsey Dickerson for being so sweet and braving the woods looking for my beloved Rudy. What great friends I have! :>( and no...we still can't find him...but Kelley's act of compassion and kindness really made my day!

Rebecca Stevens Helvey Not sure if my voice being hoarse is from allergies or from me yelling for Rudy? Sure it is a mixture of both.

Rebecca Stevens Helvey After 3 days of searching & accepting we may never see Rudy again,Jon hiked into the woods hearing what sounded like a puppy yelping.It was RUDY! He was stuck in a deep hole & there's no doubt he would have died there if Jon hadn't followed the barks.He is extremely weak,dehydrated,& what seems like in shock but we did... catch a glimpse of a tail wagging.Thank you "DOG LOVERS" for all of your thoughts & kind words .

Rebecca Stevens Helvey After 3 days of searching for our beloved Rudy..and pretty much giving up....my husband found him stuck in a deep hole. My husband is my hero...and I know Rudy's too!

The animal den that Jonathan found Rudy within. Rudy was only seen from the front legs up.

I know it doesn't look that deep but the hole goes down pretty deep and another entrance/exit into the den is located above it.

Poor Guy. He was lifeless.
My sweet husband had to drape him over his shoulders to carry him approx. 1/4 mile home.

We were thankful that he at least would drink the water we placed in front of him. Eating food was a WHOLE other story.

Opie, our other sweet mutt, was thanking Jonathan for finding his buddy and bringing him home :>)

Also, Jonathan is displaying his dirty/muddy arms that he used to dig Rudy out of the hole. There was no time to go home and get a shovel. His adrenaline kicked in and he rescued our Rudy from certain doom.

Greta's New Massage Therapist

2009-10-01T15:11:00.001-05:00

This was way TOO CUTE for me to pass up the opportunity to pull out the video camera! And to think I was afraid they wouldn't get along.

Why Did God Create the Flea?

2009-05-28T16:05:00.003-05:00

It is now the season for those ugly, pesty, insects to start showing themselves in droves. For the first time in our living in East Texas (almost 6 years in this house) we decided to hire an exterminator. He came out about 2 months ago and I have been so pleased. Peace of mind is worth so much. I have been less stressed about Clara running into fire ants or getting stung by a wasp. But, it seems that they are beginning to show themselves again. ESPECIALLY, the little HORRID, Fleas!! With 3 dogs and a new kitten we just can't seem to get them under control. I have flea collars, flea drops, flea spray, and flea shampoo and have administered all of this on all of my pets. Unfortuneately, it has done very little to help with the problem. The exterminator came out last Wednesday and sprayed the yard but two days later....YEP they were still jumping on our legs. I really hate to be high maintance but I called the Bug guy again and requested that he come back out again today. I'm hoping that does it. After putting down Clara for a nap, I went outside gave all of the dogs flea baths and applied flea drops. I'm pretty proud of myself for being a 9 month pregnant woman still able to accomplish much....but boy is it taking a toll on my body. Needless to say, I'm exhausted. But, it is days like this where I wonder, "Why DID God create the Flea?" Do they really benefit anything? Are they on the food chain for some bird? Does anyone know?

The Joys of Being a Mother

2009-04-02T10:01:00.004-05:00

I just had to post some of these pictures of my daughter. It makes my heart smile when I see these. I'm so thankful for cameras which will help me recall these wonderful memories a litte more clearly.

"Controlled Burn" What Exactly is that?!?!

2009-02-23T09:40:00.004-06:00

Just wanted to share some photos with you from last night. Sorry for most of the blur. It was hard to take good shots in the dark. And of course these pictures don't give you a full picture of what it really looked like.

We came home from services and as we crossed over the creek we saw the sky glowing bright orange. We knew that our fairly new neighbor across the street had been attempting to perform a "CONTROLLED BURN" earlier in the day...In which the fire department was called and asked to come over because it had gotten a little out of hand. So, we knew it wasn't our house...or at least not yet.

But as we got closer, we were a bit alarmed to discover that maybe this guy was a pyromaniac. I'm not the best judge of acreage but I would have to guess (my husband would probably disagree) maybe 30+ acres on FIRE!!! Is that considered a "CONTROLLED BURN" when you have one man manning a brush fires of 30+ acres????!!?!?!?

We drove down the road and discovered our neighbors that live behind our home were all outside at their barn watching with a bit of concern as well. I doubt we all got much sleep last night. At the time the wind was blowing South(away from our house). But, the wind did change and began to blow North and it was an eery sight to see the flames were now working their way over the hill, now down to the road that divides our property. Jonathan's concern was that a tree would ignite and fall across the street, catching our property on fire. He spent most of the evening, until about 11:30pm with the water hose ,trying to kill the fire and wet the grass and trees down. SOOOOOOOO glad that we to pay that water bill! Numerous trucks pulled over to make sure everything was okay because like I said earlier it was Alarming and looked a bit out of control.

We did get the camera and video camera out for "DOCUMENTATION" just in case something were to go HORRIBLY wrong. Our crazy neighbor then pulled out of his driveway around 11:30ish and saw us outside and stopped to have a chat (I quickly hid the camera). He didn't seem to be concerned but it made us feel better that he was there and was awake and not sleeping. He then proceeded to ask us, "Do ya'll have a gun?" Jonathan replied, "Not on me." Then he said that he received word from the Fire Chief (he'd been checking in with him every 30 minutes...what a relief) that there was a woman who was being held hostage by her boyfriend...down our road....holding a gun inside her mouth and law enforcement had been notified. He apparently got scared and fled her house on foot and there was a manhunt looking for him. Needless to say, we decided to come inside and lock the house down...bring the dogs in... and Jonathan loaded his gun and placed it beside our bed. How do you think we slept last night?????

Good news is that God heard our prayers. We still have a home and we woke up to a usual Monday morning. However, I did wake up extremely nauseous around 4am. The smoke must have been seeping its way into the house and I felt like I was in the process of being poisoned. And, Jonathan woke up seriously tired. He wondered what heavy smoke can do to your body? However, Jonathan wakes up EVERY morning SERIOUSLY tired. So that could be just part of our usual Monday morning. :>)

Did hear on the morning news that they still haven't caught the boyfriend. I think I will proceed with caution and keep all the doors locked just in case. THE JOYS and ADVENTURES that come with living in the WOODS! :>) Anyone up for coming and staying with us for a weekend? ha. It is probably stories like this that keep our company level down.

Fast & Furious trip to Florida

2009-02-13T16:05:00.002-06:00

We recently returned from a very long drive to and from Florida. We were attending my cousin's wedding. It was so gorgeous. While we were there we squeezed in a Day at Disney and had so much fun. Although, it was so crowded. I think there was some kind of Cheerleader's Conference going on (UGH). Human pyramids and chatty teenagers. Plus, there seemed to be a lot of foreigners there too. I figure this is probably their "Holiday" time. I can't wait for Clara to go when she is a little older and able to appreciate the characters.

I WANT MY TENNIS BALL!!

2009-01-22T11:30:00.006-06:00

While outside today with my camera, I witnessed this interaction between our dog, Rudy and my daughter, Clara. I was just snapping pictures and was humored by what I shot. Apparently, Clara found the next best thing to the tennis ball.

I received this in an email today. Thought it was CUTE!!

2009-01-21T10:31:00.002-06:00

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary......
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a Cat's Daily Diary. ..
Day 983 of my captivity.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.

They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now................

What has been going on

2009-01-19T17:36:00.006-06:00

Picture of my sweet Rudy. See about my most recent book
"Rudy's Path."

Hard to believe we are in the year 2009! There is something very refreshing about starting a new year. So many possibilities and hopefully blessings to come. I know for my family 2009 has some wonderful expectations. For one, my husband and I are expecting our second child on July 1st. Our daughter really needs a playmate. That will place our children approximately two years apart. Some folks say that is the perfect distance while I observe other small families with children close in age and quickly ask myself, "What was I thinking?" After my 21 month old daughter had a pubic melt down in the mall today, I turned to my mother who was shopping with me and said, "After this next one comes around, I may not ever go out again until they are both 10 years old."

But really, I love my daughter and feel such a warmth in my heart when she calls me, "mommy." Or when I see her mimicking me. All of the struggles and tantrums are quickly forgotten when she waves at me or when she puts her head on my shoulder.

2009 also brings a new book, hopefully. I need to begin working on the my 3rd book of the Greta's series of books. This book will be called, "Opie's Promise." My little girl is eye level with my art table and paints, so, it makes it quite difficult to paint without a mess or frustration. She so badly wants to eat the paint and suck on the paint brushes. It is kind of difficult trying to find the time to work on this project. I think after January I will really put myself to work and get this done.

Life is good and Life is busy. Here's to 2009!

A BUSY WEEK

2008-10-10T21:12:00.003-05:00

I was so honored this week to have the opportunity to go and read "Greta's Purpose" to Velma Penney Elementary School in Lindale. I read to about 200 kids in a three day block. The 4th Graders were having a Writing Camp and thought it might be fun to have a local author and illustrator come and talk about who I am and what inspires me.

Greta came with me along with my daughter, Clara. As you can imagine my hands were full. But, I'm glad to do it! Poor Greta was petrified. It is not every day that she is surrounded by little hands and loud, excited voices. She just pressed herself into me and shook.

It is so funny to me how excited the kids get when they see Greta. I might as well have Mickey Mouse, himself, standing beside me. As far as they are concerned she's famous!

I believe the week was good for them. Hopefully it will inspire some of them to pursue their dreams as they get older. Afterall, that is what I did!

Right at this moment, I'm headed for a Teacher/Book Conference in Houston. I will need to be there bright and early to set up. It will be another GREAT opportunity for me to spread the word about my books. I so greatly appreciate all of the people that are instrumental in helping me.

LOVE THE FALL!!

2008-10-10T21:07:00.000-05:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

It is OUT!!

2008-09-16T22:29:00.004-05:00

I have been so blessed with the success of "Greta's Purpose" only to have my 2ND book, "Rudy's Path" in print!

This is the 2nd book of the Greta's Series. This is so very exciting for me and I greatly appreciate all the many people that have been so supportive.

Please go check out the Spiritbuilding Publishing website www.Spiritbuilding.com

New Book on its way!

2008-08-12T11:34:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, I submitted my 2ND book to my publisher, Spiritbuilding Publishing. This book will be called "Rudy's Path." It follows "Greta's Purpose" as a continuation of the life of Greta and her owners, the Hollys. This story is loosely based off a true story on how our dog, Rudy came into our very own life.

He happened upon our home lost and scared. He was so skinny and malnourished that we were not sure what breed of dog he was kin. His brown coat appeared to be bleached from sleeping in the sun and his eyes bulged from his head.

We took him to the vet and learned that he was a chocolate Labrador Retriever. After a few weeks of feeding him he turned out to be the most gorgeous dog. He received his name because of the football movie, "RUDY." We had a football that he loved to play with. He adjusted very well in our home and took to Greta immediately.

I hope that people will enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed writing and illustrating it. I will be sure to post when the book is out and ready to purchase.

The BEST Security System!

2008-08-01T08:12:00.002-05:00

We got some troubling news from a neighbor of ours who lives about a 1/2 mile down the road. He wanted to inform us that approximately 10 homes on our stretch of Country Road had been robbed within the last 6 months (5 of them within the past month). Immediately, you begin to think about all of the weird things that you may have seen or perhaps the truck that pulled into your drive only to back out when the dogs came out barking(then it sat up at the top of the drive for about 5 minutes).

Apparently, these men (4 of them) have been watching people's routines and robbing houses between 8am-12pm when they suspect people are at work. The one thing I have going for me is that I'm at home pretty much all day. But there are the occasional outings that I must do and that makes me nervous to leave. We do not have a garage so it is pretty evident when no one is here. I do have my 3 large dogs and they are the very best security system.

I have never witnessed my dogs ever attack anyone but I have seen them aggressively approach strangers and bark non-stop when a car pulls into the drive. They bark non-stop when we pull into our drive (IT DRIVES US CRAZY!!!--Especially, when you have a sleeping baby that you would like to see continue to sleep).

We have a wireless dog collar that allows the dogs to have free reign of about 2 acres. We usually try to keep them off the front porch because they just love to dig up my flower bed. But with this recent news, I'm okay with them destroying a little bit of my yard. There is something comforting about seeing your dogs sitting on the front porch as you drive away to run an errand. Isn't it amazing how dogs take ownership of your home and want to protect it as well as your family? Thank you God for giving us "Man's Best Friend."

June Book Signing Event

2008-07-21T12:34:00.002-05:00

Rebecca Helvey, author and illustrator of the children’s book, “Greta’s Purpose,” appeared for a book signing event held at the Champion Wood Animal Hospital in Spring, Texas on June 13th between 4:00pm to 6:00pm. Along side Rebecca was the main character of her book, Greta, who helped her sign autographs with a large stamp that was made from her very own paw print! Approximately, 60-80 people attended the event and snacked on paw shaped cookies and finger foods that were cleverly placed in stylish, doggy dishes. The event was a success and the animal hospital is anxious to host a future event when Rebecca’s second book to the Greta series, “Rudy’s Path,” is in print.