Siblings

ME and Boston (right to left)

ME and Phoenix (Phee is now as tall as I am)

ME and Auggie

Black and White Sunday

Charlotte Saturday

Today

     Today would have been Angel Charlotte's first birthday.


     Dachshund Mommy: Charlotte's sudden and tragic death made and still makes me ill. Not only because Char was only 5 months old, and the she went from frolicking in the grass to dying in my arms in less than 24 hours, but because Charlotte was so much like Nola is was almost scary. Both so smart, beautiful, feisty, loving. I'm even more terrified now of something happening to Nola, my heart dog. 

     Charlotte has been gone now for longer than she was here with us. 6 months, 3 weeks and 2 days today. I can't believe that. What's even more shocking to me is that Phoenix is now older than Charlotte was. That idea isn't even conceivable to me. 

     As horrific and sad as Charlotte's passing was, it's taught me a lot. I've learned to treasure every single day, because you can never be such of what will happen next. I've learned to take lots and lots of pictures, even if they're of things that are, at the time, insignificant. To trust my instincts. To give as much as I possibly can. 

     Charlotte, we miss you.

Charlotte, this time last year. 

Charlotte, with her two older brothers and her mother, Boston. 

Same crooked noses, same black tails, same black stipe down the back, same bright brown eyes.

Nola's shadow, from the second Char could walk. 

Rest in peace, baby girl. 

This hangs over Charlotte's grave. Fitting. 

Dec. 28, 2011 - June 6th, 2012

I saw this blazingly bright star the night Charlotte passed. 

December Photo Challenge: Week 3

     Hi, all! Dachshund Mommy here with week 3 of the December Photo A Day Challenge.

  Hallelujah, the relatives leave today!

  Which of these is your favorite?

Hugs,
Dachshund Mommy

Day 17:  On the floor

Day 18: Makes you feel merry

Day 19: Something beginning with "S"

Day 20: Weather

Day 21: Tree

Day 22: Ornament 

Day 23: Joy is:

Wordless Wednesday

Merry Christmas!

     A very Merry Christmas to all of our wonderful Blogville friends, from all of us!
Hugs and Kisses,
Dachshund Nola,
Auggie, Boston,
Phoenix and Dachshund Mommy

On The Same Page

     After only 2 days of awkward dinners, exasperated sighs, eye rolls, too much shopping at our overpacked, over heated mall, short tempers and one crying fit of pure frustration courtesy of the relatives, Mom and I agree it's time to break out the alcohol.
Kisses,
Nola

Black and White Sunday

Charlotte Saturday

Just ME!

     Well, we have relatives coming over today and staying for WAY too long a week. So I'll be spending my day supervising, I mean cleaning the house!
Mom and I may or may not go insane by the time this week is over (Dachshund Mommy: And Nola will probably ballon up, as no one freaking listens to me when I say "do not feed my dog". 1) she has allergies, so don't feed her your damn corn chips! and 2) I'm trying my damnedest to keep her lean and I really don't want to have to restrict her food and up her exercise after said relatives leave. 
Bleh. Home invasion. Ugh!!! Okay, whine over.)

Kisses and Tail Wags,
Dachshund Nola

Oh yeah, the apocalypse is suppose to be today. Clearly, I'm still here so that shit feel through the roof, BOL!

December Photo Challenge: Week 2 +2 Extra Days

     Hi, everyone! Dachshund Mommy here with week 2 (and 2 extra days) of the December Photo a Day Challenge. This is the week I had the flu, so if the pictures suck there's my very valid excuse. :p

I included the two extra days because day 16 is something I've been itching to write about for quite a while. So, here goes!

DAY 16: SOMETHING YOU MADE

     I'm going to start this off by saying I think of myself as a creative person. But, I'm not creative in the artsy, crafts and paint and pencils and shit kind of way.

     I don't have the patience for crafts, the steady hand and dedication for painting, the eye for sketches. Photography is my art. Yes, I fully consider photography art. Photography, in my not so humble opinion, is perhaps the most difficult and beautiful kind of art. To do it right, you not only need to have a very sharp eye for detail and beauty where others overlook it, you need to be at least somewhat tech savvy and be able to take your photos from start to finish. In essence, you need a wider variety of tools and skills than most other art forms.

     So since day 16 is something I made, I'm showing you one of my favorite photos I've taken of little Nola.
I put myself into every picture I take. When I take a photo, I want people to feel the way I felt when I took the picture when they see the photo.

     I've noticed that the vast majority of people ignore or brush pass so much. Beauty, love, anger, passion, tenderness, sadness, peace, confusion, joy. And that makes me sad. All this beauty is around us, and so many of us ignore it. When was the last time you stopped to admire a couple just holding hands, or a baby smiling for no reason, and truly let yourself feel? Damn, this is sounding really new-agey hippyish. Sorry.

     But back to my original thought. I see the world in full color, in exact detail, the way it is. I see through the everyday ho-hum so many people get stuck on. And that is what I want people to see when they look at my photos. I hope they're seeing what's actually there, pure and simple. I hope they see what emotions are in the photo. I hope they see the pieces of myself I've happily left in every photo.

   Ooh, emotions in photos! Since I'm totally rambling now like I've gone off the deep end, why not?
There are emotions in every photo I take, both the subject's and the emotions the photo evoked in me. But to anyone besides the photographer and usually the subject,  the emotions are never fully known. Look at the photo below:

Are those tears of pain? Loss? Happiness? Exhaustion? You will never know.

What about this one?:

A happy couple on a casual stroll? A bittersweet goodbye, with no words needed? Are they happy? Sad?

And this one?

A walk with a best friend? A passed friend who's still with me?

     Well, there's my convoluted and totally pointless ramble. I truly have no idea where that came from. CliffNotes version it all:
Photography is art
I have no patience
I put myself into my photos
Photos are full of emotions
You can never be entirely sure of the emotions in said photos, unless you're behind the camera
I ramble

 Here's the actually post! Which of these is your favorite?

Hugs,
Dachshund Mommy

Don't have a day 9, I was way too sick to even lift my camera.

Day 10: Under

Day 11: Sweet

Day 12: Hat

Day 13: Lights
I love Christmas; so many great bokeh effects!

Day 14: Something green

Day 15: Outside

Day 16: Something you made
MY art. 

Wordless Wednesday: Collective "Awww!" Edition

Dachshund Nola Reviews: Steadfast Friends and Giveaway!

     Hi, everyone! Today I'm doing a review for  Steadfast Friends, makers of breed specific silhouette silicone iPhone 4 and 4s cases (damn, that was a mouthful), as well as temporary tattoos.

In case you did not notice, Mother, I do not have thumbs. Therefore, you need to open the package. 

The phone cases come in these cute little bags!

From the site:

As dog-lovers, we’re always searching for ways to express our affection for our four-legged family members! We formed Steadfast Friends to do just that. Beginning with iPhone cases and temporary tattoos, we are creating a line of unique products featuring the distinctive silhouettes of your favorite dog breeds!  Our iPhone cases and temporary tattoos let you return your dog’s loyalty and show the world how much you care.

Steadfast Friends is a family-owned and -operated business – and we even get a little help from our three dogs, Piper (a lab), Dillon (a Golden Retriever) and Henry (a German Shorthair Pointer). Our product inventory is currently expanding and we can’t wait to show off our newest additions!  Also, please note our Corporate Giving policy.  We dontate 10% from each sale to your favorite canine-driven charities.  We feel is is so important to give back and hope you enjoy giving to a worthy cause upon checkout.

And because you give your dog nothing but the best, we love giving you the best! We’re proud to say our silhouettes are hand-cut in the USA and every order ships for free.

     One of my favorite things about Steadfast Friends is they donate 10% of every sale to canine driven charities! You can read more about that here. It's furry important to give back!
Steadfast Friends also have free shipping!

     First review part, the iPhone case. Now, Mom  I don't have a 4 or 4s, but using the ever so eloquent motto of "if it doesn't fit, force it!", we made it work. It actually fit quite well, given it wasn't made for it. It fit like a glove on Sugar's iPhone 4.

     The case is made of silicone, so it's very durable. And most importantly, if you have a clumsy Mom assistant to hold your phone while you sign autographs for your thousands of adoring fans, it bounces when you drop it, keeping your phone safe. You gotta keep stuff like that in mind, ya know.

     The cases come in black with a white silhouette, red with a black silhouette or white with a black silhouette. Steadfast Friends very kindly sent us both. There are 23 breeds available for the phone cases, including:

Dachshund
Lab
Pit Bull
Beagle
Chihuahua (and people think Dachshund is hard to spell)
Great Dane
German Shepherd
French Bulldog
Schnauzer
Poodle
Siberian Husky

PROS:
Durable
Cute!
Fits both the iPhone 4 and 4s, and if you force it the 3s
Easy to clean! Just use soap and water (when you phone is not in it!!!) and let air dry.
Unique
Price seems on target with other cases
The breed silhouette is actually part of the case, so it doesn't come off


CONS:
It's a pain to fit your phone in your pocket when you have the case on (could also be because Mom wears tight jeans....)
More colors would be nice
This is more of a personal annoyance, but I wish they had a male or female option for your case. It should be ME on MY phone, but I don't have mandog parts! ;)

Sorry for the crappy quality of these, the lighting was horrible as it was piss-pouring rain.

Temporary Tattoos:
     Steadfast Friends has 73 breeds and over 107 distinct silhouettes for their temporary tattoos. The nice thing is they have all 3 Dachshund varations: smooth, long and wire haired! I don't see very many long (much less wire) products available, and it's nice that Steadfast Friends has all 3 in case you don't have the most common smooth (but FYI, there's only smooth Dachshund for the iPhone case).

     The temporary tattoos were fun and adorable (Mom says anyway, I have too much fur for them :P)! They'd make great party favors or fun hand outs for breed specific events/walks/clubs.
The most shocking thing is they did not irrigate Mom's super sensitive skin. Dachshund Mommy: trust me on this, that's saying a lot.

PROS:
Cute!
Gentle on skin
Lots of variety
Fun
Stayed on even after lots of hand washing
They look like real tattoos, BOL

CONS:
The only thing is the pack is kind of small (5) for the price ($10 a pack)

Damn I've got a few scars! Never noticed till this photo.

     Steadfast Friends has very generously offered to give away one (1) iPhone case and one (1) pack of temporary tattoos to one of you, my extended minions in the breed of your choice! (Sorry, this giveaway is open to the US only)
Just leave me a comment below saying you'd like to enter, and leave an email address. To prevent spam, feel free to leave it as: nolabugy AT gmail DOT com.
Want to earn an extra entry? Go "like" Steadfast Friends on Facebook here, then come back and leave a new comment saying you liked them. Winner will be chosen on Friday, so you have a few days to get to it! Good luck!

Kisses and Tail Wags,
Dachshund Nola

And now that this review is over, I'm going to call my BFF Lily Belle

"Hey girl! How you doing?"