Word for 2014

Every year I ask the Lord for a word about the coming year. Not what the news says, not what the economy says, but what God says about the year to come. And the faithful God that He is, He has always graciously answered this prayer. So this year it came a few days ago while I was reading Psalms 37

Delight yourself in the Lord

Dream big

Inherit the land

Sounds like the sweet life to me :)

So, tonight as I ring in the New Year with my little bff Shannie...

...and my handsome man Jazzy.

(along with the rest of the pack of course)   

 I’ll be delighting myself in the Lord, dreaming big and walking into 2014 ready to take the land. Hope you will be doing the same.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Some of mine...

…I mean Shannie’s favorite toys this Christmas.

The La Dee Da dog... Miss La Bun.

 Snoopy through the years plush collection.

 And these cuties are bookends!

I know there’s a little bit of a theme going on here…Santa must be a dog lover ;)

362 days...

…until Christmas.

So this is Christmas!

 Waylon is feeling a wee bit confused…

#waylonsfirstchristmas

Sorry this was just too cute… I had to post two blog posts today. 

Dear Richard,

  My love I can't believe I'm going on my second Christmas without you. I hope I'm making you proud. I'm trying to live our dreams....some days are still so hard.  But I hear you in my heart cheering me on so I continue to move forward.  I really do trust God, that there was a reason I have to walk this part of my journey without you here. I trust in the bigger picture we often talked about. Can't say I like it! But I know in the end it will all make senses.  When it gets very overwhelming I often see your face silently mouthing "I adore you". Like you did in the hallway, just before you walking out the door for the lasts time.  Thank you for leaving me such sweet memories. They truly do carry me. Honey I know you would be so proud of our loved ones, so many amazing things have happened in the last 16 months. My family is so healed and whole again ....like we so often prayed for.  Our church family and Mama Angel would bring you to tears of joy at how they are standing strong. Oh and your Bobby....he is a fire that won't be contained ....he's bring them in baby!  But most of all our grand baby's! Oh my love, they are going to do amazing things for the Lord!  We are all going to run the race...we are all goings o finish well ...then we are all going to spend eternity never having to part again....celebrating our sweet Jesus!  Until then kiss Jesus and give Him the biggest Birthday hug for me. You are still both my two favorite guys and always will be ;)

 PS. Woke up to Bobby plowing the driveway, you know what that means sweetheart.... it's a white Christmas!  Made it a little hairy getting home from the beautiful candlelight service at church last night... I know I don't have to tell you how awesome that was, because I know you were there! The weatherman told us it wasn't going to be a white Christmas ....So tell Jesus thank you....it's HIS birthday party and it can snow if HE wants it to!  LOL

 Merry Christmas

Love lightning 

And I adore you too!

Your beloved Anna

From our pack to yours...

Warm snow

I took my little buddy Jasper in the studio with me today while I was getting ready for a shoot.  And being the hound that he is, it didn’t take him long to find the doggie toy I use during shoots to get puppy’s to look at the camera. He grabbed it and ran behind some props….the squeaker gave him away.

I love his little face when he realized I spied him…

We have had a lot of snow here over the last few weeks. So I’m guessing that’s why he chose to play in the fake fluffy snow of the studio…it’s just a warmer version of his dog yard to him…lol

How I play...

On a snowed in day...

We spent the day digging out from the storm. And of courses we had to use this winter wonderland as a prop for some photo's.

You know the saying… 

the shoemakers kids go barefoot? Meaning your loved ones are the last to benefit from whatever your vocation is. Well that doesn’t

  apply to photographers. lol

Snuggle socks

Shannie and I love being snowed in together…

 Between romps in the snow with the puppy’s… and cups of hot coco, we will be snuggling in the waterbed watching theses...

I don't want to survive

I stood in the shower this morning crying to God…."please take me home!".  Some days the pain is still so raw.  I know as a child of God that is such a selfish prayer. I know somewhere deep down inside of me I don’t really mean it.  It’s like someone in physical pain who just wants relief.

So as my tears mixed with the shower water that was pounding me in the face, a line I heard in a movie flooded my mind…

“I don’t want to survive….I want to live.”

So I got dressed, grabbed my camera and went to one of my favorite little spots.

I’m trying to live… not just survive…

Some days the only way I know how to do that is to find beauty through the lens of my camera…

Dear Santa...

Shannie and I found what we want for Christmas. We hope you’re a blog reader and get this little hint. ;)

P.S. Please overlook any naughtiness you may have spied when we found these. We really weren’t trying to pull them out and take them….hehehehe

So ho ho ho  and yabba dabba doo…see ya soon.

Your two favorite very "GOOD" girls always,

Shannie and Grammy

Mr.& Mrs. Santa Paws

Well it is December and we are breaking out the festive apparel from the get go!

 Yes all my doxiholic friends you are spying Dachshunds all over that dress.

 We even accessorized to match :)

Oh Christmas tree!

And that was just how I was saying it last night… 

OH CHRISTMAS TREE!  Not in the merry kind of song singing way. After spending two hours putting together one of the older style artificial trees…were you have to put in each limb, and then stringing it with lights to place on the gazebo. 

The stand just broke into pieces and, well…timber! 

 Mr. Tree you picked the wrong lady to mess with…I am the queen of repurpose!  So this is now the 7 foot artificial trees… 

It made a perfect outdoor garland! 

Plus I still got my Christmas tree for the center of the gazebo. This is the 2 foot top with a makeshift stand.  

Oh Christmas tree…I WIN!

But that little mishap didn’t steal the joy of the season at all.

I started my own little tradition for Christmas since Richard went home to heaven.

I get myself a Hallmark ornament. This is only year 2 …but I think someone up above got wind of my little idea and had the perfect one made for me this year.  

I had a real hard time keeping it together in the Hallmark store when I found this…

Yes! When I place this on my Christmas tree I will be singing… Oh Christmas tree, the merry kind of song way! :)

My cup runneth over

My lovely daughter and son-in-love hosted Thanksgiving this year.

 It was an amazing time and of course some amazing food! 

But again, no one in my beautiful family wants their 15 minutes of fame on my blog, so I really have no pictures to share.

Well except the GRANDbaby’s….

Who needs anyone else...lol

Every time I look at these pictures together all I hear in my head is that song from the Patty Duke show.

 And their cousins… identical cousins all the way…lol 

Well, now let the Christmas decorating begin!

And since this is what my cup runneth over with, I felt it fitting to be the first decoration to put up this year…

Thank you my dear sweet Sharayah and Kevin for an absolutely beautiful day!

Mama is so proud of you and loves you both!

What we give thanks for...

Riding the waves

Well last night we had the pleasure of knowing what it must feel like to sleep on a cold concrete slab.

At some point in the recent past the heater to my waterbed died. However, I didn’t realize this until I was in bed last night.

So it was a longgggg cold night for myself and the pack. But my sweet Jazzy who refuses to let life’s small mishaps have any affect on him whatsoever, stay on the bed today as I emptied it, slide out the old heater, replace it, and then as I refilled it, all curled up with his blankie and toy friend.

I think there’s a deep message in this…lol 

The twisting Dachshunds.

Well I know I love when my Blogger and Facebook friends share any holiday doggie memorabilia they spy.

So I just had to give heads up to everyone on these little sweeties I found at Kmart.

Although the song they chose for these Christmas puppies is a little wacky. I still think they are just too cute! :) 

Man's best friend from the beginning.

In children’s church this week Shannie learned about the creation of man.

She also discovered a very amazing little tidbit...

Long before God gave Adam, Eve…he had a Dachshund.

Of course, it all makes perfect sense now… hehehehe

#outofthemouthofbabes

Passed inspection

We have a new furry friend in the studio.

And she did not escape Lil Ricky’s keen eye.

In fact she was given the full puppy dog inspection.

 I like her mom, I think she’s a keeper…and she vaguely reminds me of someone…

…But I just can’t quite put my paw on who.

#weloveanythingdog

Rainbow colored poop is always worth the wait.

I have been on the hunt for the perfect toaster for months.

For me an appliance needs to not just be functional, it also needs to be prutty.

So when I found this at Target I squealed with delight. 

However it got even better when I spied it’s logo!

So even though to some this may look like a rainbow colored unicorn pooped it out…

It has me written all over it! lol

And this little sticker in the box was the perfect touch.

Not that I believe in luck …I believe in being blessed.

However I sure do believe anything doggie will always makes me smile :)

Just what I needed

Today was just one of those hard days. Yes I still have them… were I miss Richard to the core of my soul. 

So this morning through a lot of snotty tears 

I said to the Lord.

“Lord I just need something….I don’t even know what I need… I just need you to help me through this wave of pain.”

Have you ever had those kinds of prayers?  Were you don’t even know what to ask for but you know you need God to just do something!

Well after that beautiful time with the Lord….not!  (Poor God I don’t know how he puts up with me. lol) I heading out to get some running done and I came across this sign.

That now hangs on the wall at the foot of my bed.

Now anyone who knows me or has read this blog for the last year knows "I love you to the moon and back" is very dear to me.

Richard bought me this silly little pop up children’s book and read it to me on a date one night. And that was a line in the book.

So from that day on it became ours.

But what made this sign so much more was the last line

A true love story never ends.

Yes Lord that’s just want I needed.  Thank you for interpreting my snotty tears :)

Kiss my Richard for me and tell him I love him to the moon and back!

Silent Sunday