Happy Easter! Celebrating the Joy of the Rising Son and Sun

Happy Easter my dear friends! Today we were blessed with the most perfect of mornings. The sun shined so brilliantly through the window as I donned one of my new spring dresses to celebrate Easter in style. The bright rising sun reminded of the reason we celebrate Easter, to remember the rising Son who sacrificed Himself and gave us all everlasting life.

Yes, I believe God saved not only all the humans, but the little dogs, and all the animals too. Indeed, when we all get to heaven, you will so all the animals there too. God loves the animals, he created us all, one at a time, and even during the great flood, God saved thousands of animals with only 7 humans aboard the ark with them. I am not trying to be preachy, I just wanted to share that God loves the animals, and I see proof of it all the time.

So this Easter, and every day, I hope that each of us will think of what is truly important and be grateful for the love and sacrifice that was made for us. Enjoy the sunshine in your day and your life friends. May we each find the joy that is around us.

The Joy of Hanging Out with Mommy on a Snowy Day

I love it when Mommy gets to work from home, like she did on this Wordless Wednesday. It snowed a lot the day before and overnight, so getting out of the driveway was out of the question. Good news for getting to spend the day watching her work. Of course I made her take breaks as needed.

 Mommy especially loves how this serious photo of me shows just how colorful my eyes really are. Thank you natural lighting for highlighting my "Pixel Blue Eyes" so very well!

Happy late night Wordless Wednesday friends! This blog hop is hosted by my friends at BlogPaws. Visit some of the other pet blogs below and see what fun photos they shared.

The Joy of Laughter with a Friend - Black & White Sunday

For Black & White Sunday, I thought I'd revisit a special set of photos with my dear friend Randolf the Red-Eyed Monkey from this past November. We really enjoy each other's company.

He really makes me laugh!

And he always makes me smile!

Black and White Sunday blog hop is hosted by my friends Dachshund Nola & Sugar the Golden Retriever ...

The Joy of Playtime with Friends on a Winter Afternoon - Pixel's Wordless Wednesday

It's very cold and snowy today, so I could not really go outside and play. But my little friend Blue Bunny decided she'd get me to play inside with her while the winter sun shone through the window of our room. We had a wonderful time together!
She had such a perfect way of getting me to play. Can you guess what she might have whispered to me to elicit such excitement in my face?

The Joy of Dancing to the Music in your Heart

I love to dance. I find just about any reason to twirl around joyfully with Mommy. I think that dancing is such a joyful expression of your heart and soul. I believe I was born with the heart of a dancer. I didn't know it though until I adopted Mommy; then one day, clear out of the blue, I did a double pirouette twirl for her as though I was a prima ballerina. It made her so happy to see me do it, so I've been dancing for her ever since. It is an expression of my love. I dance for her. I dance for me.

Do you dance? I hope you do. You can do it when you're all by yourself so no one sees, but I suggest trying it. It might just bring a smile to your face. Dancing has always been a joy for me and Mommy, and I hope it is for you too.
My Pixel advice is simple: Listen to the music of your heart and dance. Find a reason to dance and just dance! I love you my friends!

The Joy of the Game Part II - Pixel's Football Action Shots

Here are some of my favorite photos that Mommy took of me when we played football this week, all in honor of SUPER DOG SUNDAY and SUPER BOWL SUNDAY.
A Pre-Game football portrait of me with my official SUPER DOG SUNDAY football.

Listening to my coach for instructions as the game begins. Nothing like a beautiful sunset as we start to play. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!

And we have kickoff. The joy of the game begins for me as I watch that ball fly through the air!

What a catch! I didn't know I could play this well so early in the game.

Another high flying catch. This time I jumped so high to catch that football that I couldn't even fit in the frame! My goodness, this is fun! (and I DID catch that ball...see the very top of the image, there it is.)

Listening as the crowd goes wild!

Wow! The fans are really lovin' my plays, as they have created a collage of my image in the crowd. That makes me feel super special!

Almost....almost. I got it!

The Joy of the Game...written all over my face as I bring the ball in for a touchdown!

Announcer says: "...and Pixel Blue Eyes brings it home again. And the crowd starts chanting 'Pixel, Pixel'!"

Running the ball across the line as I make my final touchdown and win the game. My goodness that was fun! What a wonderful day!

Don't forget to visit my 'Joy of the Game Part I' to see my friend Flurry, a beautiful giant schnauzer mix who needs a forever home real soon. She lives in Texas, and is listed with Pet Finders. 

The Joy of Being Lighthearted II - More Motivational Posters

With all the negative stuff on the news, I thought it was time for a new round of Pixel Motivational Posters to get some more lightheartedness out there again. Getting motivated can be difficult sometimes for all of us, but it never hurts to keep trying. Sometimes I have a heck of a time getting my Mommy motivated enough to get out of bed at 5am to feed me 3 hours earlier than our agreed upon schedule...it can be so taxing on a mini schnauzer like me, but I keep trying.

Sometimes, being lighthearted means making a bit of fun of yourself, or having a laugh at your own expense, which might make others feel at ease in a tough situation, or just help your own heart feel lighter. Sometimes, if Mommy seems too serious or isn't feeling all that great, I will grab one of my rattle toys (I love rattles!) and run around all crazy begging her to chase me. That is probably why I sometimes have a bad hair day after all play! But I don't care as long as I help Mommy feel more lighthearted.

 Sometimes we can be lighthearted as we learn from our mistakes. Mommy and I know all too well the concept of 'biting off more than you can chew'. Once I tried to eat a rawhide that was almost as big as my entire mouth, but Mommy taught me moderation that day, whether I wanted to learn it or not.
And, no matter what, you always have choices, so make sure you make the right choice. If it brings sheer joy, it very well might be the right choice. Mommy teases me because I always seem to find the toy with the rattle in it. Well, if you loved that sound as much as I do, you'd be choosing the rattle toys too!

I originally shared these new motivational posters on my recently acquired Twitter account, www.twitter.com/. I love sharing my little thoughts on life when they come to me, so I hope you decide to become a follower. I promise only joy and joyness will flow from my tweets. You will love it!
If you have any motivational words or ideas I could create a poster for, leave me a comment and let me know! I always love hearing from you.

The Joy of Being Lighthearted in Life

I think I might be a rock star...
Mommy says that my first record album cover is going to be the funny, highly stylized image to the right. Never mind the fact that I don't have a band, a record deal, or that the record itself (based on this image) would be oddly shaped in a long rectangle! Obviously, my Mommy really knows how to be lighthearted and silly, a very valuable lesson that she started teaching me from way early on. (Evidently, my Mommy also likes to play with photos of me on her computer, but that is beside the point.)

 Mommy made these funny 'Motivational' posters to illustrate the point of taking most any situation and finding the lighthearted side of it. I have had many a time that I was scared, sad, sick or just feeling down and Mommy will scoop me up and give me a hug, take me outside for a bit of playtime, or bring me my favorite treat to put a little romp in my step. I guess it has rubbed off, because I have done the same for her. She has had times when she was frustrated, feeling down, or having a difficult time with something, and I will bring her a toy to play with, do a little dance like only a Pixel can do, or just go up and cuddle with her.

And, as is overwhelmingly evident, I let her take photos of me no matter what silly situation I get myself into. Mommy says to find the positive in a situation, whenever possible, and it will help you find perspective. Sometimes that is easier said than done when the evil lawnmower is coming to get you, but I think I get the point!

Now, sometimes life can be tough, and there will always be those times when lighthearted is just not going to happen, and annoyance sometimes ensues, but we do our best. That is why having family and friends can be so helpful and wonderful. I have the most awesome dog/human pack ever and they get me through those times until I can be lighthearted again. See, even a Pixel Mixel can have a bad day...

Success at being lighthearted in life is an ongoing process, but I think it is a mindset I choose to live by. After all, I AM a blogging mini schnauzer...how much more lighthearted can you be?? I suppose my steps to lighthearted success would be to:
1. Find joy in the little things, like rawhide, a cuddly soft blanket, snow falling and paper towel rolls.
2. Practice 'Random Acts of Kindness' - Look for ways to be kind and do for others, no matter how you feel, and do it whenever you can.
3. Laugh at yourself. Take funny photos.
4. Play. Just do it!
5. Volunteer...at a dog shelter, at a people shelter, at a retirement home, at a hospital. Remember, lightheartedness can be catching...
Now, about my rock star status....would you buy the album if I did make one?