where's the christmas spirit gone?

image via

am i the only one having trouble getting into the christmas spirit this year?
i have been asking myself this question what seems to be all of december.

i just started my shopping and thankfully so, i am almost done.

i just can't stand crowded malls any time of the year.

 ever since i went on a no shopping spree

my attitude about buying has changed..i am not cured of all the commercialism,

believe me, there is way more work to do in that area.

of course there are things that i would love to have like this, and this,
and i could always use a new one of these

but really, when is enough, really enough?

i can't answer this question, i am a work in progress.

maybe that is why i have had a hard time this year,

i have not really decorated my home other than a tree

{that is missing the bow on top, hubby reminded me}

and a few other decorations. who am i ?

all i know is that i am changing, God is doing work in my heart, i know that.

he is showing me areas that need him in my heart.

all i know is that i need more of him, less of me, and less stuff.

i may even be brave enough to read this book.

it has been a while since i posted.
 i thank you for staying and reading my blog.

new sweater

i never considered myself that kind of dog owner, but i do love sweaters.

so when i saw this one at my favorite home goods store, i bought it.

it is a grey cable knit sweater.

doesn't he look handsome?

this is his first and my first, he actually liked it.
my hubby thought i was crazy but the boys and i loved it.

Riley has turned out to be a great doggy. for a pup he is super mellow.
today i caught him napping wrapped up in a blanket on number two's bed.
i tell ya, this doggy is spoiled.

carrots

 earlier this spring we planted carrots among other veggies.

we also planted tomatoes which were doing well until max got a taste of them.

 number two decided to harvest his carrots today.

he was excited to see the carrots.

riley is such a curious puppy.

we gave hime one to see what he would do.

i guess a carrot is a healthy treat for puppies.

number 2 shoot

i read somewhere that in order for your photography to get better you must practice.

practice by taking lots of pictures, like thousands of hours of shooting.

that is something that i need to do so i decided to have a mini shoot with number two.

i have to coax and bribe my children to let me take pictures of them.
number one said no.

number two agreed so there i went dragging my chair to the backyard.
this is what i got

only one overexposed picture with a half smile.

then it went downhill when he did not want the sun in his eyes
and this is what i got.

a blurry shot of a boy who wanted no more pictures taken.

 max was curious as to all the fuss going on.

this was probably the best shot i got. but then i also got this

 i guess he too did not want his picture taken.

it's not easy taking pictures of your own.

i hope i have better luck next time.

my maximus

my baby is getting old. i have to come to terms with that fact.

my maximus is 11 years old.

that is a good age for a boxer.

he was my first baby.

i remember the day hubby surprised me and came home with him in a shoebox.

he was only six weeks old and oh so small.

it was love at first sight.

we have been through a lot.

he has had two puppy friends and two loving boys to play with.

he is such a great dog.

but now this is what he does, lies by me wherever i may be.

the best dog ever 

{even if you ate my rose trees, knocked over trash cans,  and sneak the chicken off the table}

momma loves you!

what I've learned in photo classes

i have been taking photoshop classes to learn to edit my pictures. to make them pro looking.

it has been a learning curve for me since i had never even dabbled in photography much less photoshop, when i first opened the program i have to admit i was very intimidated by it.

 lucky for me i have a great instructor is who is well versed in photoshop 

and who is also a great teacher.

 this is a shot that i took of my sister's dog Hurley this summer.

straight out of camera:

this is without editing. i liked the shot but was not happy with the water drippings on the floor.

nor with the redness of his eyes. 

i edited a first time  and brightened it up a bit but i was still not able to get rid of the water marks on the floor or the redness in his eyes.

and this is the final edit after brushing up on my photoshop skills.

i learned how to remove the water marks by using the patch tool. i brightened and eliminated some of the redness to his eyes and cleaned up a few areas on his coat.

much better, don't ya think?

i am much happier with this image. makes me feel one step closer to my goal.

wishing you a great weekend ahead.

sneak peak

the other day i snuck these pictures of number two reading to the dogs

riley was underneath the bench licking his toes.

max was quite the listener.

i had to sneak these pictures through the french doors

 because the moment i take out my camera this guy

becomes camera shy and doesn't let me take any pictures, the dilemma of a mom-tog.

just wondering...do any of you have that problem?

even though these may not be the best shots..i love the moment they capture.

my sweet precious boy.

give a dog a bone

we have had riley for three weeks now.

he has adjusted well and is growing.

to help with his teething we bought him a bone.

he has been working on it all afternoon.

better to chew on the bone than on our toes :)

wishing you a great weekend.

puppy love

this week was a busy week.

on monday we brought home this cutie patootie

introducing Riley, our new puppy.

we have been busy house training this lil guy.

he is adjusting well and starting to learn where to do his business.

the boys are in love with him, after all who can resist such a cute puppy.

raising a puppy is like having another child, it has been keeping me very busy cleaning oops spills.

i know this guy will bring us lots of fun and joy.

it has been a bit difficult because it brings us lots of emotions after charlie passed earlier this year.

our charlie was such a playful fun loving doggy. we still miss him very much.

thanks for enduring all the doggy pictures lately...what can i say i am a lover of dogs.

have a great weekend and keep cool.

it has been in the 100's here.

thank God for AC, seriously!

berry breakfast

this is what i had for breakfast today.

yummy blackberries, strawberries, cottage cheese, and pumpkin flax granola.

i joined a friend to zumba class {which was super fun} this morning

but when i came home i was very hungry. 

being it was such a nice day, i decided to eat outside on the patio and take in the morning.

don't let this guy's innocent look fool ya,

as soon as i got up to get something he was digging in to my bowl of berries and cottage cheese.

this guy is stealthy!

hoping to be back tomorrow to post some pictures of our completed dinosaur garden.

 thanks for visiting.

randomness

is  randomness even a word?

so today i thought i would share with you my breakfast.

this week was a 3-day off week, can you see my big smile as i type this,

i thought not but trust me it's there.

i love 3 days off!

mornings are pretty busy and i don't get a chance to eat breakfast 

until i come home from dropping the boys off at school.

this is what i ate, the whole (almost empty) bag of my absolutely new favorite, Tapatio Doritos.

if you haven't tried them you gotta! 

but i must warn you, if you do not eat chile, these are not for you.

and as if to compensate, i had two hardboiled eggs for the protein, ha.

my mouth is salivating thinking about the Doritos, they taste even more delish with lemon. 

hey what can i say, i am mexican, i think everything tastes better with lemon.

the great thing is that doritos are (i think) gluten free. 

i am trying to stay away from that stuff although it is a challenge because i love to bake.

after finishing off my healthy delicious breakfast, i proceeded to finish reading my bible entry for today.

 this is my first time reading the one year bible, i am in the book of Samuel.

it is good, i am on the part where Saul is trying to kill david 

but the Lord is protecting David.. good stuff i tell ya.

 and my weekday companion was doing this.

who can blame him. i am thankful for this time i get to spend with him. 

as always God knows exactly what i need and at precisely the right moment.

wishing you a week full of joy,

thanks for visiting.

new chucks

number 2 has been asking for new chucks. he loves them and will wear them out.

new shoes as a kid were so exciting.

i would even wear my new shoes out of the shoe store if my mom would let me.

it has been very difficult bloggin' these past few weeks

i just feel sadness when i see my blog and pictures of my charlie.

we miss him so much.

i love this picture with max's paws in the background.

there is so much going on and lots to share but when i sit down to write

i become overwhelmed with sadness.

i miss the little pitter patter of his paws on the wood floors as he ran in to the house.

i miss the kisses and attention he would give me when i would go into the backyard.

i miss the popping sound he would make when he played with his favorite green ball.

i just miss my charlie.

one thing that all this has reminded me of is to remember to live in the present,

enjoy the moment you have now

because as much as we fret over the future

we don't know if there will be a tomorrow.

wishing you a great weekend.

charlie

last friday we lost our beloved charlie.

we love you charlie and you will forever be in our hearts.

we are forever thankful for the gift that you were to our family.

we will miss your playful spirit and your loving kisses.

but rejoice in knowing that we will see you again in heaven.

on spring {nap} break

caught this guy napping on what seems to be his new cozy place.

the boys and i are on spring break this week.

hubby went back to work :(

number two had a minor surgery today.

 when we got home, we all took a nap including the doggies.

i haven't much energy for anything else today but maybe this quick post.

i am just grateful to God that overall my boys are very healthy.

i pray for parents of sick children who have to endure the suffering 

and even sometimes the loss of a child.

God bless you and yours and may he keep you young and healthy.

pause

sometimes i wish i can just be as carefree like this guy....

march madness has begun and it has been super busy at work and at home....

a good busy ...but tiring nonetheless

i looked out and saw charlie just relaxing on the bench outside my bedroom door.

i ran to get my camera and catch him.

he looked sooo relaxed, frankly i was a bit envious.

 i love this spunky dog

of course, the moment he heard me he got up to see what was happening.

adorable...my charlie is

40 days of gratitude

day 7: grateful for an awesome friend whom i can always count on 

in the good and bad, and in the ugly :)

day 8: pizza night (for the boys) and a break from cooking for me

day 9: charlie, my two year old boston terrier 

the four legged members of our family

i don't believe i have formally introduced the four legged members of our family.

if you have pets, you know that your animals are members of your family

my boys call them their brother dogs.

we got Max only a year after we were married.
he is our 10 year old boxer.

hubby brought him home on a whim.

he came home in a small shoe box and i immediately was in love
he was such a cute puppy!

I'll have to scan some pictures from my old album to add to this post later.

i have always been a lover of animals.

my sister could have sworn that i was going to be a veterinarian, little did she know that i would follow her lead and become a teacher, but i'll save that story for a different post.

Charlie is our two year old rambunctious boston terrier.
he is such a character! he loves to run and chase his ball.
he barks at the boys and tries to nibble on their toes when they are swinging.
 he climbs the play structure and goes down the slide, too funny!

as a puppy, Max was very active, now he is such a gentle dog.
he is my companion, when he is indoors with me, he always follows me around {even to the restroom!}

they keep each other company and charlie is always giving max love and kisses.
dogs add such joy to our lives all in exchange for food and belly rubs.
they truly are man's this girl's best friend!