Hunty celebrated his 6th month birthday this week! 
He has finally lost all his baby teeth, is still growing out of his puppy coat, and is 62lbs as of Tuesday. We are firmly in the teenage sass stage, but he's still a very very good boy. 

Bug and I took the Brat Pack to the lake to fish with grandma. Didn't catch anything, but good times were had. 

May has been kind of a whirlwind for us. Seems like the days are flying by. Work has been busy, Bug is finishing up his 8th Grade year, and we've been running all over town with Hunt trying to get him used to the world outside of home. Hunt's popping out baby teeth left and right, only a few left. All his puppy shots are done now, and he's microchipped and ready to rock. We're ready for the freedom of summer, but not looking forward to the heat. Even so, lots of outdoor plans on the horizon. 

Spent the weekend getting some stuff done outside. I mowed and weeded a bit. My dad came over with his chainsaw, and I FINALLY got all my downed branches cut to more manageable sizes. Now we have a nice neat woodpile, and a clean side yard. Also got to have lunch with dad, which was pretty nice. The yard is looking pretty good. We're making plans to reno the shed, and replace the chainlink fence along the back. The pups got some new toys from HEB, which has some pretty cute toys that they love to shred. Hunt is going to finally be fully ready to go out as of this coming weekend, so we're really excited to expand his world without him having to ride in a wagon. :) Hunt is growing very fast. He's starting to stretch out into his goofy teenage phase, and I'm noticing places where the baby fluff is getting replaced with silky grown-up fur. I'm going to miss the floof, but I'm excited to see just how beautiful he's going to be when he grows up. 

Hunt had his final puppy appointment today! He's at 33lbs and doing great!  

We had a pretty nice storm last night. Came out this morning to find some of my roses have finally bloomed, Indy found a good stick, and we discovered where our woodpecker was building its nest. 

Last weekend, Bug and I went to some markets, but mostly worked on our backyard, trying to get it into shape for summer, and ready for gardening. We played with the puppers and just enjoyed the nice weather.

This weekend, I had some work peeps over to meet the BABY. Hunt and Indy had a great time meeting some new folks, and I enjoyed the company. I spent the rest of my day working on my living room mural that I started a couple of weeks ago. Made some good progress. (Pics below) Worked on it some more today, but plan on taking it easy for the most part. :P

I'm officially off of IG and FB, and though it's been an adjustment, I am definitely getting more done around the house, and though I do feel less connected overall, I'm also doing less mindless scrolling, and I feel like I'm able to focus more on Bug and the critters, so it's a win, I think.

Happy April! <3

I've decided to rethink how I use social media. Because of this, I'm going to be updating my website with more options that include updates for my friends and family about what's going on in my household. I welcome anyone else who's interested as well. Come on in! I'm planning a total overhaul of the look and general vibe of the site as well, so I hope it will be a place where we can catch up. Keep an eye on it. :)

A month ago today, we picked up our German Shepherd puppy, "Hunt" in San Antonio. It was a long day, AND it has been a long month. I have since decided that Hunt will be my last puppy. :P 40 years old and it feels like having a new baby in the house. I'm too old for this ish. 

We love him, and though he's DEFINITELY too smart for his own good, I can already tell he's going to be a great dog. At 14 weeks, he is ringing a bell to go outside for potty time, learning basic tricks and manners, and being very good in his crate (not counting the odd tantrum). Food is his #1 BFF followed closely by me, Indy (our other doggo) and Bug tied for third. 

The cats are NOT thrilled. Edgar is a grouchy old man and has no patience for puppy BS. Bean is terrified, and is hiding most of the time. We're working on it. We'll get there. I fully expect to be posting pics of them cuddling in the future, just wait and see. 

In other news:

Bug and I have been working diligently on the back yard. 
The fire pit/flower bed I spend hours and hours on when we first moved into our house is now razed and waiting for grass to re-overtake it. It just wasn't working how I envisioned it.

We are behind on our garden this year, but plan to start working on it soon. Everything is prepped, we just need to get to planting.

Our big projects of the summer involve a new back fence, and gutting and reworking the shed so that it's useable, probably as a greenhouse, possibly as a chicken coop... we'll see where the summer takes us.

Bug is finishing up his 8th Grade year. We've been homeschooling since covid started in 2020, but now that he's about to start his Freshman year, we're deciding if we want to continue, or if he'll do his high school years at public school. 

So far in 2023, art has been on the back burner for me. I'm trying to decide where I want to go from here, what kinds of projects I want to work on, and IF I'll be opening up portrait commissions again. I hope to have something to share on that front soon.

Please enjoy the below pics of Hunt's first romp in the back yard with Indy. <3