Happy Halloween!

happy halloween!, originally uploaded by stella_dolce.

The puppies were less than impressed with me trying to get a photo of them in their Halloween collars. But they still look cute!

The Beatles

beatles, originally uploaded by stella_dolce.

This post is for Amanda a.k.a. the Beatles freak

Cirque du Soleil has a show in Las Vegas about the Beatles called Love. We didn't see the show, but we did go to the Mirage to take some photos. The top photo is of the Revolution Lounge and the bottom two are at the theatre entrance.

Us

us , originally uploaded by stella_dolce.

We are back from Las Vegas and are completely exhausted! The trip was fantastic and we had a great time. I will post more photos later, but here is one to tide you over. Here is a quick snapshot of Eric and I as we were roaming the strip on Sunday.

The Puppies

Here are a couple of my favorite shots of the puppies:





They are staying with my aunt and uncle until next Wednesday because Eric and I are going to a conference. In Las Vegas!! I am so excited about this trip! We leave tonight and get back Tuesday afternoon. I will try to post some updates if I get internet access; otherwise, I'll see you guys next week!

Mums

mums, originally uploaded by stella_dolce.

Batty

batty, originally uploaded by stella_dolce.

My mother got Stella this bat toy at Old Navy last year for Halloween. I put it up after the holiday passed and just found it again this weekend. Stella and Beau have been playing with it ever since. It's really funny to watch them play tug with it. Sadly, the bat now has a hole in his face as well as his rear and will have to be tossed soon.

Untitled

triptych, originally uploaded by stella_dolce.

Stella

stella, originally uploaded by stella_dolce.

Kitties

After posting baby photos of the cats, I thought I'd post some more recent photos of them.

Here is Aphrodite hiding in the closet when we were in the rental house:


And here's Athena trying to nap on the middle shelf of the bookcase (before it had any books on it):


Gone are the blue eyes and fluffy fur, but I think these two are still really pretty.

Baby Pictures

I was going through an album of photos from several years ago and I came across pictures of the cats from when they were kittens. They were so adorable!

Here's Athena under our old coffee table:


Here's Aphrodite by the back doors playing:


And finally, here's Athena napping in the sunlight:


I can't get over how sweet they looked with their blue eyes and fluffy fur.

Leaves

leaves , originally uploaded by stella_dolce.

Another reject from last year's Photo-A-Day project.

Stella

stella, originally uploaded by stella_dolce.

Kira Marie

kira marie, originally uploaded by stella_dolce.

She's a cutie pie.

Mr. and Mrs. Mark

Yesterday, we went to the wedding of one of Eric's childhood friends. We couldn't be happier for Patrick and Linda. I took a few pictures in between eating a delicious dinner and dancing my feet off.

Here is the lovely church where they were married.


The sancturary was very open provided a great backdrop for the ceremony.

Here is Linda and Patrick with Patrick's parents, Chuck and Bonnie.

The decorations for the reception included apples that tied the autumn theme together.

I didn't get many pictures after the happy couple and thier parents had their dances, mostly because Eric and I were on the dance floor ourselves! Here is Patrick and Bonnie during the mother/son dance.

Congrats Patrick and Linda! We had a blast at the wedding and hope you are having a wonderful time on your honeymoon to China!

Compare the two

The photos below are of the same subjects, taken by two different photographers, from two different angles. I love the contrasts.


Taken by me.


Taken by Manda.

Flowers

flowers, originally uploaded by stella_dolce.

Painted Clouds

painted clouds, originally uploaded by stella_dolce.

These were taken last night about 5 minutes apart each. I love how quickly the colors change.

Shadows

shadows, originally uploaded by stella_dolce.

Me and a dog. I can't remember which.

Blue Wall

blue wall, originally uploaded by stella_dolce.

She hardly ever stays still. Thus the blurry face.

Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Muffins

Sounds yummy, doesn't it?

Last week I saw this great recipe for Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Muffins over at Pinch My Salt. I decided to try and make them this weekend. Here is what they were supposed to look like:

photos from pinchmysalt.com

Needless to say, I am not a baker. Here is what came out of my oven:

My muffins were more like small explosions - but, oh boy, were they tasty explosions!

Play

play , originally uploaded by stella_dolce.

They are better than TV when they play like this.

Clouds

clouds, originally uploaded by stella_dolce.

Sway

sway, originally uploaded by stella_dolce.

This pretty fluff comes from the ugliest bush I have ever seen...

Morning dew

I got this shot early one morning in Knoxville.

This photo is a great example of bokeh. See all the little blurry dots? So...

Happy Bokeh Wednesday!!!