Happy New Year - May The Stars Shine So Brightly On You and Your Furry Loved Ones!

Lexi and I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Happy New Year and to thank you for following the World According To Lexi. We are new to the blogging community and day by day we are starting to learn the ropes. We hope you enjoy our little dog/farm/life adventures. We look forward to sharing more of our life stories at Bluebird Farm with all of you in 2011.

Have a Happy and safe New Years. xoxoxo Lexi and Christina

 Sweet Lexi hanging out with her little sister Tallualh (watching their mommy work)

Nitro Enjoying The Sunshine On A Cold Winter Day

 Nitro was relaxing in the sun today on his doggie bed so I took full advantage of him being still. Enjoy!

 Are you all in love yet...if not, just keep on going and you will be....

                                 So sweet...

 I decided to throw in at least one black and white shot.

 In the shot above I just want to lay with him in the sun and smooch on that big flappy muzzle.

 Just chillin....

 Oh those ears, those lovely ears....so soft...

 What a little muffin with his pretty blue eye. He reminds me of Petey on "Little Rascals"

 By the time I took the shot above I had taken so many photos he started "bossing me" to stop. In other words, he started barking non-stop. Even though Nitro is deaf he sure can bark and boss me around...spoiled little boy!

 Here he gave up when he saw I wasn't going to put my camera down...poor boy.

In the above photo Nitro looks like he has a baby dinosaur mouth, he was bossing me again.

This is a great shot of his Boxer head!

The End!

Taking Down Our Christmas Tree With Nitro

Today I decided I needed to get my house under control and take down all the Christmas decorations. Since we got our rescue pup Nitro, we have crates, pens, toys, blankets and of course all the Christmas decorations scattered throughout the house. This place was a total is mess! It looks like Toto and Dorthy were here! Because of the Nitro coming to live with us, I only had enough energy to put up about 1/4 of my Christmas decorations. The good news is because I limited how much I put up this year, it didn't take me  long to take it all down.  Unfortunately every time I took an ornament off the tree and set it down, Nitro would grab it and run. Below are photos I took this afternoon of my favorite dog ornaments and also photos of Nitro steeling those ornaments. Enjoy!

 Happy New Year from Lexi, Nitro, Tallulah, Bailey, and Christina

PS: I decided I better add at least one photo of Miss Lexi with her new Christmas toy Rocky Raccoon

Merry Christmas From Bluebird Farm!

(Photos around Bluebird Farm have been taken by Chris and Christina Lee - all rights reserved)

All of us at The World According To Lexi and Bluebird Farm would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.

And remember Christmas is forever, not just for one day, for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf. The good you do for others is good you do yourself. ~ Norman Wesley Brooks

Photo Of The Week 12-20-2010

This is Maggie Moo and she is a Tri-Color Collie. She is a Sassy Lass (just like her mommy Tigger). As you can see, Maggie Moo is ready for the Christmas Holiday Season. This photo was submitted by her human mommy Tatiana "Tigger" Siccardi. Thanks Tigger for sharing Maggie Moo with us!

According to the AKC Meet The Breeds - Collie  Although a large, active dog, the Collie is both elegant and graceful, appearing to float over the ground as it runs. Loyal and affectionate, the breed is naturally responsive to humans. Marked characteristics include the beautiful coat of the rough variety and the breed’s lean wedge-shaped head. The coat can be rough or smooth and the four accepted colors are sable and white, tri-color, blue merle and white. The best-known Collie is, of course, the famous Lassie.

A Look Back
The exact origin of the Collie is uncertain, but they have existed for centuries as herding dogs of Scotland and England. They were used primarily as a drover dog, guiding cows and sheep to market. The true popularity of the breed came about during the 1860’s when Queen Victoria visited the Scottish Highlands and fell in love with the breed - from that point on Collies became very fashionable.

Right Breed for You?
The Collie is a devoted family dog, especially with children. Although they require daily walks, they can also be couch potatoes. Despite the Rough Collie’s immense coat, they only need to be brushed about once a week, although the need for brushing may increase in shedding season. Collies are also a very clean breed and are noted for not having a doggie odor.

Getting Ready for Santa

Lexi's cousin Jack is ready for Santa, are you and your puppies?

We Have A Winner!

This is what it looked like before I wrapped it all up pretty!

Congratulations USCG Wifey! Your name was drawn in The World According To Lexi's Christmas Prize Pack Contest (also part of the Pet Blog Hop). You have 48 hours to send me your shipping information and confirmation. Send it to Christina Lee at dakotagirl403@gmail.com so we can put this great prize pack in the mail for you. According to my dog Lexi, if we don't hear from you in 48 hours, we will draw another winner so be sure to send us your information. Christina and Lexi

Big Snow Storm Heading This Way!

Since we are under a Winter Storm Watch here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, I thought I would take this opportunity to have some fun and edit one of my favorite photos of my rescue pup Nitro. How cool is this photo? I love everything about it. Here is Nitro in his little winter sweater, with his one blue eye, his little tag with his name on it, and then his big dark shadow in the background. Add a little snow and frost to the photo (from the picnik software) and waaalaaa...I have a perfect Christmas card!

Twas The Night Before Christmas And All Through The Town, Every Shelter was Full

                 

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the town, every shelter was full - we were lost, but not found
Our numbers are hung on our kennels so bare, we hope every minute that someone will care,
They'll come to adopt us and give us the call, "Come here, Max and Sparkie - come fetch your new ball!!
But now we sit here and think of the days we were treated so fondly - we had cute baby ways,
Once we were little, then we grew and we grew now we're no longer young and we're no longer new.
So out the back door we were thrown like the trash, they reacted so quickly - why were they so rash?
We "jump on the children:, "didn't come when they called", we "bark when they leave us", climb over the wall.

We should have been neutered, we should have been spayed, now we suffer the consequence of the errors THEY made.If only they'd trained us, if only we knew...we'd have done what they asked us and worshiped them too.We were left in the backyard, or worse let to roam - now we're tired and lonely and out of a home.

They dropped us off here and they kissed us good-bye..."Maybe someone else will give you a try."
So now here we are, all confused and alone...in a shelter with others who long for a "forever" home.
The kind workers come through with a meal and a pat, with so many to care for, they can't stay to chat,
They move to the next kennel, giving each of us cheer...we know that they wonder how long we'll be here.
We lay down to sleep and sweet dreams fill our heads...of a home filled with love and our own cozy beds.
Then we wake to see sad eyes, brimming with tears - our friends filled with emptiness, worry, and fear.
If you can't adopt us and there's no room at the Inn - could you help with the bills and fill our food bin?

We count on your kindness each day of the year - can you give more than hope to everyone here?
Please make a donation to pay for the heat...and help get us something special to eat.
The shelter that cares for us wants us to live, and more of us will, if more people will give.
-Author Unknown

This is Jake and he found a home when Lexi posted his need for a forever home about a week or so ago. Congratulations Jake!

(my sweet Tallulah Lee)

Will you please consider giving a dog or puppy (or kitty cat) a forever home for the holidays? According to Lexi, there is a lot of her friends out there that could really use a helping hand. If you don't have room in your home for another pet you can make a donation in honor of someone you love for Christmas. xoxoxox Lexi

Salem Animal Shelter

Roanoke Valley SPCA

Roanoke Valley Horse Rescue

Photo Of The Week 12-13-2010

This photo is called "sisters" submitted by Laura Nese Bair.

These are her two sweet long haired Dachshunds waiting for company to arrive.

Dachshund, meaning "badger dog" in German, is a lively breed with a friendly personality and keen sense of smell. Known for their long and low bodies, they are eager hunters that excel in both above- and below-ground work. One of the most popular breeds according to AKC® Registration Statistics, they come in three different coat varieties (Smooth, Wirehaired or Longhaired) and can be miniature or standard size.

Read more about Dachshund

Fun Christmas Edit's With Nitro

Here are some fun ways you can add a little Christmas cheer on your pet photos.

I use Picasa but about a week ago I decided to sign up for Picasa's new upgrade editing software called Picnic. Picnic offers really cool editing options for only $ 2 a month or in my case $ 24 a year. If you do several blogs like I do, then this is a great tool to take advantage of.

Here are some examples of what Picnic has to offer. I took a regular photo of Nitro and cropped it to the size below and also used an editing button which can focus a little bit of color in the middle of a black and white photo effect. In this case I left a little color on Nitro's face. In photo number two I used 4 different options under the Picnic Holiday options button. As you can see in photo number two, I used the frost effect, the Christmas lights frame, added antlers, and last but not least, I added a big red Rudolph the red nosed reindeer nose to Nitro's cute little face. On photo number three I just used the frost frame effect with the color white as my frost color (they give 6 color options for the frost frame). It sure was fun playing aournd with all this fun editing software and I think Nitro looks very festive for the Holidays.  Merry Christmas from my little red nosed dog Nitro, Lexi, Bailey, Tallulah and myself!

Photo 1.

Photo 2

Photo 3

Here is one last photo I took in which I used more of the Holiday options from Picasa Picnic. In this photo is my big dog Bailey and my puppy Nitro. They are so cute together!