my first "real" family shoot :D

I had the opportunity to shoot a family (other than my own) last week!

Aren't they adorable?  I've known Courtney for forever.  Seriously, I have to work really hard to remember a time when we didn't know each other.  So, taking pictures of her growing family was an honor and such fun!

Their little girl was absolutely precious! :D  She is little wiggle worm and chatter box all rolled into one.  Getting her to sit still for more than a split second was an adventure, but after about 2 hours and 400 pictures I got some really good shots. :)

I had so much fun with this shoot!  Their property was absolutely gorgeous and the lighting that day was better than perfect. 

Such beautiful people!  I can't wait to see their precious new baby!

it's just so...final!

This kills me.

No, really...  Deleting pictures is hard enough for me, but when it comes time to empty out the recycle bin, I get that sick feeling in my stomach and that little voice in my head starts saying, "You're going to regret this...."

Yes, I'm strange.

Those 777 pictures I deleted were the product of an entire day on the computer shuffling through JPG files, editing and discarding.  Hardly a drop in the bucket compared to what has accumulated on my laptop in the past three years, but it's a good start I guess...

So, that's what's been cooking the my photography department.  However, in the sewing department, something a bit more fun (and less stressful!) has been developing....

Ruffles!!!!! <3  (Aren't the fabrics pretty?)

I love making ruffles!  And seeing as almost all of the Christmas projects on my table have ruffles, I've got the process down to a science.

Unfortunately, that's all I can reveal about my sewing ventures at this time. ;) 

Speaking of which, I gotta get back to the cutting table!

See y'all later! :D

roots

 

When you think of your roots, what comes to mind?  People?  Places?  Things your family did when you were growing up?  For me, it's all of the above. 

 

Places from my past hold a special spot in my heart.  Ginormous houses that somehow managed to shrink with age.  Streets that were well traveled.  Stores that used to be...(I still call the Belk store in Athens "Profitts").

 

I've always dreamed about one day taking my children to all of my favorite spots, the houses I grew up in, etc., so that they will see the places where Mommy grew up instead of just hearing stories.

 

Unfortunately, I recently discovered that one of my favorite places, and one of my deepest roots, will soon be gone.

 

 

When I was born, my Daddy was a preacher, and this is the little country church that I was brought home to.

Those of you who pass through Riceville, TN on occasion might recognize it.  It's sort of a landmark on Hwy 11.  It was built in 1901 and has the loveliest (though very tiny!) sanctuary. 

When I found out that it is being torn down, I nearly cried.  I love this old church.  Though I was only 3 years old when we moved, I still have lots of memories aided by Mama's extensive photo albums.  We've also been able to visit from time to time over the years.  The last time I was there, I walked into the nursery.  Not only was I shocked to realize that it was about the size of my closet, I couldn't believe that I recognized every single toy!  Absolutely nothing had changed.  The same was true for the rest of the church.  Although, it did seem to shrink every time I walked through the doors and the piano was always a little more out of tune.

I wish I could have gone inside and gotten pictures of the lovely stain glass windows, the beautiful woodwork in the sanctuary, the nursery, the itty bitty Sunday School rooms, Daddy's office, etc., but I'm content to have at least these few pictures and the old ones of the inside that Mama took to show to my children one day.

One consoling thought: the little house we lived in (literally, three yards from the back door of the church) is still going to be around for a while yet. :)

I absolutely love taking pictures of kids!  They are so much fun and I really don't have to do much posing with them.  They pretty much just do whatever they want and I keep my camera on sports setting.  You end up taking 6 million pictures that way, but it's worth weeding through them all to find the good ones.  Kids are just adorable.  Period.

Of course, with these kids, I'm a bit biased.  :) 

What can I say?  I'm a proud auntie!

 No front teeth!!!! I love it! <3

 



 Miss Haley.  Almost 11 years old!

 

 Sisters <3

 

And last, but not least, Baby Luke!  He's getting so big and he's the

happiest baby I've ever seen.  Preciousness! <3

i spy

 

Spying on Sarah petting the outside dogs. 

 

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!  Go out and enjoy the chilly temperatures!  Hats and gloves, here we come!

a frolic through the alley-way

Yesterday was a very cloudy, blustery day.

Perfect for pictures!

So, after fighting our way through the crowd at the Panera in downtown Chatt, my friend Leah and I headed to the art district.  They have the coolest alley that goes through some of the restaurants and coffee shops.  I absolutely love it!

 Isn't she lovely?

 

 I reluctantly agreed to hand over Knightley for a little while.

I have much more fun playing photographer than model.

 

These are just a few out of about 275.  Yeah...lol!

 

 

We really had a great time.  Rarely do we do anything with just the two of us, so it was a nice treat to go out and do a little shopping, take some pictures, and get coffee.  Hope we can do it again!

little miss blue eyes

Mollie Grace.  Miss Cutie Pie.

This afternoon, while everyone was indulging in a little Sunday snooze, Mollie and I ran outside to snap some pictures.

While she is extremely photogenic, getting her to actually take her eyes off the ground and smile at the camera is quite an achievement! 

I am very pleased with the results I got!

 Trying to run off all of that energy.  Where does it all come from????

 Playing in Mimi's bushes.

 Hug the pole!!!  Give the pole some lovin'!!!!

 Those eyes!

Yay!!!!

I just had to throw this one in!  This was the response I got after

shrieking, "Oh my GOODNESS!!!!!".

at my leisure...

I am currently taking an unintentional-turned-intentional break from blogging.  Why?  Because it's summer and that's just how things seem to work out.  :)  However, I decided to check in for a bit today and let you in on what's been going on with me.

I celebrated my 21st birthday a couple of weeks ago.  I have always loved having a summer birthday because there is absolutely nothing else going on and I can enjoy it without any interruptions.  And of course, my lovely family took over the dishes and the laundry for the day.  Awesome! 

Typically, I don't like bragging about gifts that I received, but I just can't help it!  Daddy managed to find a vintage rotary phone that actually works!  I love it!  It was actually in working order in my room for about a week before Sarah made me unplug it.  The loud ringing disturbed her...  Another gift that I am extremely proud of is the DVD of the 25th Anniversary performance of the Phantom of the Opera.  Let's just say I'm a huge fan and leave it at that. ;)

Artistically, no paintings to speak of.  I'm in the process of planning one, though, and I hope to start on it soon.  Most of my artsy time has been spent sketching randomly and attempting to hone my skills with the human face.  A very frustrating task at times.

We've had a big change in our house.  Well, the upstairs of our house.  It has been completely turned upside down, rearranged, and reorganized.  I'll spare the details except to say that Sarah and I (and Elly) are now occupying the garage attic/bonus room/ whatever-you-want-to-call-it.  It's ginormous!  Especially after living in my tiny windowless sewing room for a month.  I now have a nice large window with a lovely view of the huge tree in the back yard.  Love it!

Sewing?  Most of it has been devoted to expanding my Grammy's wardrobe.  I might post pictures in the future.  We shall see...

The rain this summer has been absolutely ridiculous!  I mean that in the best way possible.  Green grass in July is rare.  Green grass in August is simply unheard of, but we have it!  It's absolutely gorgeous outside!

I have recently become quite obsessive over nail polish.  On my hands, that is.  I have always worn it on my toes to cover up the ahem deformities, but rarely did I wear it on my hands.  Now, I love it!  Although, the Bon-Bons look done by a three year old isn't quite my style...

We are patiently awaiting the arrival of the new nephew/grandbaby!  He should be here any day now!Can't wait for you to get here, Luke!

These are the random highlights of my summer.  It's been a relatively busy one.  Tomatoes, green beans, and field peas galor, people coming and going all the time, random shopping trips, etc.  But, I've also had lots of down time which I have been enjoying to the fullest and I intend to continue to do so until we get back into the full swing of things.  (Just a couple more weeks.)

Until then...

...I'll just be chillin'.  :-)

signs of summer

 Luscious green leaves.

 The it's-too-hot-to-go-outside-we're-so-bored-so-we're-going-to-steal-the-

camera-and-take-goofy-pictures pictures that are clogging up my

memory card... ;P

 Sigh....lol :D

 Peppers, anyone?

 Nice refreshing swims in the pool.  At least, it would be refreshing if

the water wasn't so hot!  We've been freezing buckets of ice to throw

in, just to make it semi-cool!

 The yummiest, sweetest, juicy-est, most amazing peaches EVER!!!!

And no, I'm not sharing!

 The tomato patch.  Just don't get too close, unless you want to be covered

in green slime!

 Precious little boys playing ball.  <3

The hanging out of the laundry... :)

What does your summer look like???