very thankful...

Today I am very thankful that all went well with my third shoulder surgery this year.  Now I'm just hoping that old saying "third times charm" it true {smile}.

So with being out of commission for a couple days, I thought I would show you how big Snickerdoodle is getting.  Originally 4 lbs 12 oz.  Now a whopping 6 lb. 14 oz.

He's so cute, I can hardly stand it!!

Happy Tuesday!!

it's snowing bokeh...

I love bokeh.  Love, love, love it.  I also love Starbucks Peppermint Mocha and wait every year for it's return.  If you have never had one of these give yourself a little treat this holiday season {you deserve it}. 

There happens to be a Starbucks in the Target I shop at.  It's a perfect spot.  I mean it's evil.  I mean I love that it's there.  It's a love-hate relationship {smile}.

The cups they use this time of year are also adorable, which leads me to the my first photo.

Yes, I broke out one of the Christmas trees I display over the holiday season.  But in my defense... I am having my third shoulder surgery this year today and needed to have a few things done.  Plus, Christmas tree lights make me happy.

Anyway, this photo was taken to show you normal light bokeh.  This is one of my favorite things to take pictures of.

Now, check out this cool bokeh.

Look closely.  Ahhhh....snowflake bokeh.  How you ask?  Very easily.  I took a scrap piece of paper, cut out a small snowflake using my cricut.  While taking the picture I just placed the piece of paper directly in front of my lens and started shooting. 

You could also use a shaped paper punch if that's what you have on hand.  And use what shape that makes you happy.  The possibilities are endless.

So get yourself a Peppermint Mocha and start shooting some holiday shaped bokeh.

Happy Monday and have fun!!

under attack...

I still remember it like it was yesterday {actually it was yesterday}.  Snickerdoodle and I headed out for one of our many trips outside {potty training is a lot of work with puppies}.  Thankfully the weather has been fairly nice during they day.

Anyway, as I opened the door and stepped off the porch I noticed two huge Turkey Buzzards sitting on my neighbors {also known as my brother-in-laws} roof.  So I proceeded with caution.  Not even twenty steps off the porch they were off the roof and after us {or so it seemed}.

I don't like to call things bad names, but this thing is just ugly.  There are no other words.  Well a few, I looked on Wiki to see what they had to say about Turkey Buzzards.

Per Wikipedia: The Turkey Vulture is a scavenger and feeds almost exclusively on carrion. It finds its meals using its keen vision and sense of smell, flying low enough to detect the gasses produced by the beginnings of the process of decay in dead animals. In flight, it uses thermals to move through the air, flapping its wings infrequently. It roosts in large community groups. Lacking a syrinx—the vocal organ of birds—its only vocalizations are grunts or low hisses. In the U.S, the vulture receives legal protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. {So I guess that means taking him out with a BB gun is out.  Although, looking at him I don't think a BB would have done much damage}.

My first thought was a flashback to the Sandra Bullock movie The Proposal were they tell her not to let the dog Kevin outside or the eagles would get him.  And if you see the movie sure enough it happens.  So I grabbed Snickerdoodle and tried to run.  {Side note, I have a bad shoulder and can't run very well}.

My second thought "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!" {Wizard of OZ} 

I really don't know who's heart was beating faster mine or the dogs ?!

I'm going to go ahead and say mine.  Apparently, Snickerdoodle doesn't seem to taken by the incident.
Never a dull moment I tell you, never dull.

Happy Friday !!



one project at a time...

Did you ever see the cool chalkboard labels very organized people use to label and identify everything?  I love them.  You see cool ideas all over the web and my thoughts were "I can do that".

So I ordered everything I needed.   And waited for the man who drives the brown truck to drop them off  {I wonder if he likes me as much as I like him?}.  When everything arrived I wasted no time getting started. 

First on the list, Snickerdoodles {our mini goldendoodle} treat jar...

I picked this cute jar up at Target.

I used my Cricut to cut out the label on chalkboard paper.  You could use or cut out any design that you love.

A chalkboard ink pen works great to write on the label.  The fun part about this is that is erases off and you can change it as often as you like. 

The possibilities to use this are endless... bins, drawers, folders, holiday decorations, food containers and on and on and on.  I think this may scare my family {smile}.

Happy Thursday !!





peak of color...

I can't believe we flipped the calendar over to November yesterday {could someone please tell me me how to slow down time a little}. 

I love this view!

bombs away....

Turning the knob to open this door leads me to the scariest places in our house.  What's behind door number one you may ask...

..it is what I refer to as Mount Laundry.  This is the pit that all the dirty laundry lands in after it is tossed in from the floor above.

I have to admit, of all the things we did when we built our house, I think this is one of my favorites.  Even though I hate seeing the mound of laundry in this closet {I honestly don't even know how it gets so big so fast} I love that there is no dirty laundry anywhere else in the house. 

We built the closet in the laundry room so it makes it easy to sort, wash, dry and fold all in the same room.  On the down side... we do wish we would have made this room a little bigger since this is also the mudroom, but we could always change it in the future if we wanted to.

Before I end this post, I need to give a huge shout out to the things that actually do most of the work.  Without them the laundry would probably be spewing out the top of the laundry chute.

Thank you washer and dryer I truly do love you.  And you give me about five minutes to let my dirty laundry basket be empty {smile}.

Happy laundry day !!  {p.s. I can't help but think I'm going to open this door one day and see one of my boys sitting in this basket !! }

snowflakes in October...

Snow hasn't fallen in our neck of the woods {as Al Roker likes to say} in October for over 30 years. 
The kids spent almost all day outside snowboarding and making snowmen.  Being we are a family who enjoys snow we're hoping this is the year of the "big" one.

So we'll get through trick~or~treat tonight and then it will be time to bust out the Christmas and winter decorations to help encourage the snowflakes to fall.  My Christmas music is all loaded on my i-pod {yes, I'm one of those who can listen to Christmas music year round} so let's start rockin' around the Christmas tree {smile}.

Happy Halloween !!