December lights.

December: we flip our calendars to that final page. Thinking back to past months it feels like it was only Christmas... and now it's that time again. Time to fill our home with decorations. Time to play the Christmas music. Most importantly remember Jesus Christ's birth. To celebrate.

♥ 

December: one of my favorite months.

What is yours?

To mom.

♥

Without a mom, there would be no laughter.
Without a mom, there would be no tears. 
Without a mom, there would be no special moments to remember forever. 
There would be no life to share.
Without a mom, there would be no songs to sing.

Without a mom, there would be no letters to write. 
Without a mom, there would be no butterfly kisses.
Without a mom, the world would be a dark place with no moon or stars in the sky.
Without a mom, there would be no flowers during spring. Without a mom, there would be no smiles.  
Without a mom, there would be no walks and talks about just anything.
Without a mom, there would be no beauty.
There would be no happiness. 

{picture taken by dad.}

There would be no secrets.
Without a mom, there would be no sparkles.
Without a mom, there would be no I love you's.
Without a mom, the days would be quiet. Still.
Without a mom, there would be no snuggling together to read a book.Without a mom, the entire world would crumble down. Into little pieces. 
Without a mom, there would be no nights next to a warm fire and cups of chocolate. 
Without a mom, there would be no cozy hugs after a loud storm.
There would be no magic. 

Without a mom, life would not matter as much.
Without a mom, life would be different.
Without a mom, my life would be incomplete.  


Dear mom, I love you. Happy mother's day. ♥
(Here in Mexico, Mother's day is today, which is the reason I'm posting it now, and not Sunday.)
-Annie

Little valentine

It was all yesterday, I know. But I still have that sparkly feeling about everything having to do with chocolate, pink, red, sweet, and love. So let's just call it valentine's week, alright? I might just keep on posting things having to do with valentine's day throughout the week. Just so you know and be ready.
Anyway, I asked my lovely sister yesterday evening if I could take a couple of pictures of her because, first of all, she's beautiful. Second of all, wouldn't a 7 year-old girl look adorable posing on valentine's day? The session was really really short; only like 20 minutes. Here they go!

♥

What can I say? I mean, really?

And of course the teddy bear just had to join the shoot at some point.

There's something about black and white. It works like magic.

Hope you've enjoyed these!

Happy Valentine's week, and happy tuesday. ♥

-Annie

You know it's valentine's day...

♥ When the calendar shows it's the 14th.

When books turn into pretty paper hearts...

Many, many paper hearts...

When you think of all the people whom you love...

Those who make you smile...

Those who make your life special...

And those who make you realize you can't live without.
♥ Happy Valentine's Day ♥ 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

-Annie
 

Things I love.

♥

The true meaning of Christmas. I love to think about how wonderful it is that Jesus came down to earth, and it all had a purpose. He would die for our sins, and forgive us. It is just incredible. Every Christmas, I try to focus, remember, and think about this true meaning, rather than being carried away to other thoughts.
Sparkly Glitter. My sister and I have covered lots of pretty decorations with it. We love it because it gives them a really pretty, shiny silvery touch. 

Two week break. It has felt so wonderful to take a two week break from all my daily school and homework. I can really enjoy this holiday a lot when I don't have to think about getting stuff done before they are due. 

My home. Specially during this season! We decorate about every single part of it. It gets all "Chistmasy." I love to walk around, and all I see are pretty lights and ornaments. And I love to share it with my family. 

Spheres. I love love them. Every year, my mom and I go buy some. We don't hang them on our tree though, because they are just so fragile. They are made out of really delicate thin glass, and have gorgeous little details, or are covered in velvet. We hang them with long laces from our chandeliers, or put them in vases:)

Bokeh. Lately, thanks to all of the Christmas lights we have around our home, I've been taking lots and lots of pictures of them using the bokeh effect technique. It seems like in the beginning I was not very fond of it, but I'm starting to. 

Cold weather. We don't get any snow in Mexico, but it still gets chilly and cold during the winter. And I love going outside for walks, and feel that frigid wind rushing through my sweater. It makes me want to get some yummy hot chocolate. 

Christmas Magazines. I totally love flipping through their pages in search for delicious recipes, and then writing them down. Which also means I love to cook. The menu for tonight makes my mouth water just to the thought of it. We'll be having really good things :)

  Decorations. We have bought quite a few of them in the past couple of Christmases, but I have always had one favorite. I have loved this one ever since we got it. It was probably four years ago.

♥

My mom. She is so, so wonderful. It wouldn't be Christmas without her. Today, we cooked and baked the whole entire day. It was really fun! She is such a good teacher, and usually makes me laugh a lot. 

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Luke 2:14 

What do you love today? 

Merry Christmas♥

-Annie

Feeling like Christmas

You have probably been wondering why I haven't really posted anything that is related to Christmas, since it is in like less than a week. To be honest with you, I have been wondering quite the same thing. I guess I was just a little slow... But today, right now, I have decided to write a post about it.
Happy?
Me too.
This week is the first week of Christmas break. I have been longing for this for the past few weeks, since school has been pretty heavy. But finally, I get two weeks off to enjoy the holiday, my family, friends, photography, yummy food, and just vacation in general.

 ♥

My sister, a friend, and I decorated a gingerbread house. It was super fun. We decorate one every year. I guess you could say it it now a tradition :)

Any idea of what this might be? 

That's right! A Mexican piñata. I found it an interesting angle to take a picture of the paper strands which hang down from its cones.  It turned out different than I was expecting, but I liked it. :)

(These last two shots are my entries for the photo play in "three from here and there." with the topic "brumous.")
Are you ready for Christmas?  ♥
-Annie

Sweet sixteen

A dear friend of mine just turned sixteen a couple weeks ago, and she had a lovely celebration on Saturday.  She told me she wanted to have some pictures taken. So, I had the honor of being her photographer. It was so exciting! I really haven't had much of a chance to shoot elegant events and parties, with girls dressed in pretty pink dresses and beautiful cakes decorated with fresh roses. But I am glad I finally did. My friend Melany and I had loads of fun taking the pictures, and I was really pleased with the results. I'm thinking this kind of photography is really getting into me, and I hope I have the chance to shoot more events such as weddings, parties, and graduations in the future.

I just find it beautiful.

♥

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♥

Don't you love elegant, fancy events?

-Annie

A small break from the busy life

Finally, it's thanksgiving break! It feels great to stop school for a while and just enjoy vacation. Although Thanksgiving break is supposed to be only for those in the US, thanks to my online school we get the week off as well. It is going to be a good time to relax, read books, take pictures, and watch movies. In short? I'm just a little too happy. 

I went for a lovely walk today, and found this gorgeous flower; I think it was probably the only one that wasn't dead because of the cold, cold weather. And it just had some wonderful, vivid colors.

What are your plans for Thanksgiving break?

♥

Have a wonderful vacation!

-Annie ♥

She's a western cowgirl

 Of course, for pretty much every 7 year old, a birthday is not a birthday without a party! It is just a thing little kids love. When I was a little girl, I remember having big birthday parties too. I enjoyed dressing up, having my friends over, playing with them, and eating delicious food and dessert. It was lots of fun! It makes me happy to see my beautiful little sister at that stage right now, and every single year, when her birthday comes around and she has birthday parties, good memories come back to my mind.

Do you remember being a little kid and having special birthdays?

It was absolutely a fun day filled with colors, happiness, smiles, cute little children, a piñata, Mexican candy, and sunshine. And a camera to shoot with.

-Have a wonderful Sunday-

-Annie