a white christmas

I haven't been on the internet all weekend, except for on my phone. I would come home from work, look at my laptop and just glare, no energy to even lift it onto my bed. All I have had energy for (and this is just barely) is knitting a few rows before succumbing to sleep. I don't recall the Christmas season being this exhausting. It has been taking its toll on everyone harder than it has in years past. I have seen some very strong people crack under the pressure and it hurts my heart. If you're a friend on FB, you may have seen my status about how all we can do is be there for each other and I stand by that--crack a lame joke or do a silly dance. It'll make you, and others laughing with you, feel better.

Wisconsin has been unseasonably warm, once again. It's annoying because I have heavy blankets on my bed that I don't want to take off just because it's not cold enough out. Well, the snow has hit us and the cold snap is hot on its heels (hah, hot, cold...I crack myself up). I had off today so I took in the snow before the cars gunk it all up and it becomes gray. For now, I'll just absorb its pure white bliss and not think about how much it sucks to drive in it. It's all in how you look at things. Stay positive!

christmas time has been here

If you work retail, you know what I mean. Christmas is being talked about by October. I feel as if it gets earlier and earlier every year. Whatever. Last night, I explored a different mall than the one I work at. It's closer to my house and it's also an outdoor mall. Since it's cold, less people out, hehe. They also always have really pretty decorations I finally thought to photograph. It's been open for six years and this is my first time photographing the decorations? Yeah, I know. I'm crazy. Better late than never, though!

christmas and haircuts

Check out the sweet addition to our tree, courtesy of Erika. She was so grateful that I took her closing shift on Christmas Eve that she got me the owlie. I didn't really do anything for Christmas. Jess' mom came into town and we now have a doggy visiting. The cats have been going bonkers, not really knowing what to do. They're just special. They lived with Sammy-dog all summer so I don't get what the big deal is. Crazies.

Anyways, since Jess' mom was in town, we got our hairs cut. I still have long hair, but Jessica went for a dramatic change. It's super fucking cute, but what haircut doesn't look cute on that bitch? Jealous...(j-play, love you, bestie). I documented the cut (with some animals sprinkled in). Enjoy!

Some befores:


It says, "Embrace the suck."

Where'd it go?!


There it is!

holiday spirit

I finally completed our tree this week! Just in time to enjoy before Christmas! It will probably end up staying up longer than the day after Christmas. Since I work in a mall, the Christmas spirit has been around since probably the end of October. We were met with groans when displays went up before Thanksgiving. I'm sorry! That's how it works in stores! I work every weekend, but that's how it goes! I am in the swing of things and just kind of going through the motions. One more week! One more week! It snowed over night. I was highly upset, especially because I was running late this morning. Blurgh! However, it's light. Nothing major. I finally put the bulbs on our tree. I can't wait for work tomorrow. It's the beginning of pancake week! Yummm!

Hopefully Monday, I'll be shooting some more with Stephanie. I have been playing with editing photos with Pixlr. It's really fun! I used an old photo from a shoot I did with Stephanie over the summer, as well as re-did the above photo using Pixlr.

DIY: Christmas bunting

I have seen a couple of bunting tutorials on other blogs (here & here). Ever since, I have wanted to try my hand at making one. Here's a picture tutorial of what I did:

(l to r) rubber cement, pencil, felt-tip black pen, poster paint marker, scissors, packing tape, twine, and construction paper.






My bunting says, "¡FELIZ NAVIDAD!"

christmas, friends, and puppies-- oh my!

christmas was fun. we spent the day at my aunt's house. my cousin (who is bent over, picking up torn wrapping paper in the above photo) has the most amazing tree. she gets really into it and has a billion ornaments. it's always spectacular.

my other cousin brought his weimaraner over. it's pretty much a giant puppy because he's only a year old. his name is apollo and someone in his wife's family bought him a cute little hat to wear that he always tried to shake off.

it's amazing how comfortable i've gotten with dogs. dogs used to frighten me so much. i still don't like when they jump on me. i could do without that. i refuse to let them slobber all over my face, but i will pet them and play with them. alex's dog zelda was a good dog to get used to. she's not mean. she's a pretty decent-sized dog (German shepherd) and she's just an attention whore. all she wants is for you to rub her belly. i'm glad i'm used to dogs since laura adopted a pit named sicily. she's just a fatty dog who is also an attention whore. as soon as you pet her, she'll go back to doing whatever.

i hope to see laura again this week. i've also enlisted alex's help with sprucing up the blog. i don't want him to do it for me, i just need some guidance.