{furtive feeding}

Another adventure in my kitchen...

So I guess I haven't really shared on here that I have been juicing a lot since Christmas. I love it, so much goodness in one cup! I have been wanting to bake with the pulp and yesterday I gave it a go.

These muffins are packing kale, strawberries, parsley, grapefruit, and apple!



I didn't tell the girls what was in them. They definitely gave me some "lip" when they saw green in the muffins, but I said they were special and just taste. After the taste test, all three agreed they were yummy and finished every crumb. I let them in on the secret...



Only Avery was excited to know she had ingested something extremely healthy. Masyn and Evelyn might not trust me again for a while, however...they did ask if I could make the special muffins again for breakfast. Sweet glory.

Today's conquest: Kolaches from scratch. I can report (minus pictures) that they were delicious. I'm feeling so Betty Crocker.

{self portrait} ~ austin area photographer

Self Portrait time...

This is a combination of "Introductions" and "Seven Deadly Sins."

Introducing myself yet again, to perhaps any new readers or just to reintroduce myself to anyone whose been around a while. I'd like to thank you for even visiting, so kind of you!

I'm Amelia. I love my girls, photography, my job(s), music, living, reading, running, and noticing all the small things in life. I don't like lies or negativity. Mostly I'm just sort of plain, but sometimes I like to try and mix up fashion and have fun. Nice to meet you!




The sin is "sloth." I'm being super lazy today and this picture captured it, or at least I think it does... Just taking it easy in my bedroom, relaxing for my own portrait. Sounds a little cheesy now that I think about it and read what I just typed. Oh well, I suppose I do have a dose of cheese to me. ;)

{old fashioned} - austin area child photographer

Last night I had the girls here with me.  Actually, Masyn and I had been together all day because she left school early with a fever.  I guess she just needed mama time because her temperature returned to normal within 30 minutes of me getting her from the school nurse's office.  I must be good medicine. ;)

As I was saying though, the girls were all here and since it was Friday we just sort of had a party.  My poor neglected pantry offered no easy outs for dinner.  Since I'm not really an "easy route" girl anyway, I decided that I would make something I've never tried before.... cinnamon rolls from scratch!  I mean, can't be that hard, right?  The reality of this for me, was that I had a blast getting flour everywhere and trying something totally new.  Yes, I am easily entertained....duh.





After the dough was rolled, coated with yummy cinnamon goodness, and in the oven...it was playtime while we waited and our olfactory senses were tantalized.

There is a YouTube video that my girls adore.  If you haven't seen it, the next two pictures will not make a lot of sense to you, however, if you have seen it, then you will probably appreciate the "double head!" joke.  Sometimes we get funny looks in public because often one or all 3 of the girls will shout random lines from this silly little recording.



Of course this is the "triple head!" version.  Masyn was really squashing Evelyn so we had to rearrange before they let me shoot.  I love this because Evy really was THAT happy, she wasn't being cheesy.



A rare a special big sis/lil sis moment.  Evelyn is super affectionate, but Avery isn't always so ready to snuggle.  Makes me smile each time I load this picture.  My sisters are some of my best friends and I truly want my girls to know the value of a good relationship with their sisters.



The moment of truth dawned as the timer sounded.... What would the outcome be?  How would the rolls look and taste?  Who cared?... not me, I was in euphoria watching my girls play and snapping pictures.



The result was extremely positive!  The girls all devoured their cinnamon rolls, asked for seconds, and gave me "thumbs up" with request that I make these every morning (or night, or both).  Hurray...success all around, beautiful.

Next was the "capture and kiss" game.  I'm big on hugs and kisses so I am always looking for fun ways to keep them flowing in my house and with the girls, I want to encourage outward display of affection.  Anyway the game is just like it sounds, I yell "kiss Avery" and they run to kiss her... or I yell "everyone kiss Evelyn!" and you get the idea.  This is my little kiss-collage.




No real story behind this except that Masyn refuses to be excluded from anything, even when I am shooting inanimate objects, she wants in the frame.  I can't blame her though, if I looked like her I would definitely want my picture taken non-stop.  Oh, and the plate was on the floor because Evelyn and I were having a little picnic style dinner, so Masyn literally laid her face to the kitchen tile for this shot.  LOL



Just one last image that I love so much.  My littlest beauty, Evelyn Blair with her special "Night-Night" that she carries everywhere.  I can't really tell you why I am so fond of this picture, technically speaking it's nothing amazing, but I keep picturing it on a canvas or gallery wrap.  Hmmm...sometimes pictures just strike me, this is one of those cases.





I bet you are all sorry you asked for more pictures!  Be mindful of what you ask for when asking me...sometimes I go overboard you know. ;-)

{2009 spc recap} ~ austin area photographer

The theme is clever this month for SPC: Flashback of 2009. So I could choose any of the 12 themes from 2009, but it had to combine at least two. I'm certain that I could make an argument that I have used several of the themes, but I'm going to claim 2 and leave the rest open to interpretation. :)

My intention was to do a diptych and incorporate tiny words (because I was pretty sad that I didn't take part that month).



So there you have it, two glimpses at me side by side, each with a significance in my life somehow. The left side is a tattoo that few people know I have. I designed it about a year after Evelyn was born and it reminds me of a turning point in my life...that's why it has wings, it's when I learned that I could fly alone. The downfall to this little story is that I long for more and I have designs in my head that I envision having inked on my skin....addiction, it's an addiction. My resolve to not get tatted up is very strong though, all my tattoos have got to be deeply meaningful before I will consider really embellishing myself for life.

On the right, so silly, but to me something I can't escape... I have an obsession with my feet. I love for them to look nice, to wear nice shoes, basically they are a very pampered part of my body and I think maybe I go overboard taking time on them, however, it means something to me so I can't neglect them and de-value something that makes me happy. Besides, ugly, unkempt feet are gross.

{getting acquainted} - austin area pet photographer

Meet the newest member of my family... BetteDavis.



BetteDavis is a long haired chihuahua. She is spoiled completely rotten, always held or in bed with us. She's great with the girls, I really pity her at times...Evy is still learning "gentle."



Any tips on how to get puppies to not bite would be welcome. I look like I have a drug problem or self mutilation habit, my arms are dotted and scratched so badly! :)

Thanks for the loving comments on my last post. I won't lie, I've lost some friends over this as well as some family love/support. I am extremely grateful for you who hardly know me, but send your love and encouragement to me in all the hardest times in my life. Thank you!!!!

{tidbits}

I promised an update and here is the beginning of the fulfillment of that promise...

So life here has changed a lot. Don't worry, it's been a long but positive transition, and it's definitely still in transition mode. I never shared on here because I feel it's personal and the story isn't for everyone at this point. My husband (referred to as "Adonis" on here) and I are no longer together. The road to this point was long and rocky, those who are close to me knew what was happening even when I tried my best to hide it and change it, but last year we reached the point where everything was clear. My surgery was also a great diversion from having to share any of this with you who have supported me for so long.

Now you know and maybe now my long absence makes more sense. Living alone means much more responsibility and that's a good thing, but it keeps me away. Also, I work a lot more these days. I will be a little more free since holiday in retail has passed....*sigh*

My Christmas gift to the girls was a puppy..as well as a birthday present to myself. Get ready for pictures of her because I am aching to use my camera again and she is so darn cute I can't help but take pics all the time. The girls appreciate a break from being my constant muses anyway. :-)

much to say...

...and hardly the time just now. Also, I lack internet access on a regular basis. I promise that my update and even a few pictures are coming very soon. I'm still alive and for that I am grateful, as well as much more...today my heart swells with gratitude for so many things and I will be back soon to share it!

{my nyc} - austin area photographer

Why did I fall in love with New York City at age 12? Well first and foremost I read "The Baby-Sitters Club" books and the New York special edition book (the thicker white one) was my all time favorite. In the pages of that book I found a place I knew one day I wanted to go. The older I got, the more I watched and read about The City. Breakfast At Tiffany's might possibly have sent me over the edge into obsession.... also the movie "You've Got Mail" was another where I wanted to simply jump into the screen and live.



So at age 22 I had my first real taste of that east coast air. However it was extremely short, like 3 or 4 hours in NYC, on foot only, I wasn't able to sight see much....it just left me hungry for more.

5 whole years later, I impulsively purchased my ticket and flew to New York! Luckily I have this beautiful friend...



..who let me crash on her couch for 2 nights and took me all around town for an entire day! THANK YOU SO MUCH (and thank you to her husband too, what a trooper to take us out and go to work the next day, twice!). You guys are the best, I miss you tons!



We walked and rode the subway, took a stroll through Central Park and sipped hot cocoa! It was incredible, just the getaway I have been needing. There was shopping done, lots of amazing conversation, and some delicious food consumed!



I'm pretty silly, but the one thing I HAD to buy was a Yankees cap, because I love them (sorry to disappoint my Astro fanatic family)! I don't have a picture yet of my favorite new hat, but I snapped some pictures in the Yankee Clubhouse store because it was definitely a highlight for me. PS. my hat is green, not conventional but it looks pretty darn good next to my dark hair so vanity won over tradition. I will attempt to take my own picture soon, but don't send me hate mail if it takes a while... I've been SUPER busy and this month only looks like it speeds up from now on. :o)



Best trip I've had, I literally can't wait to go back... even if just for another speedy getaway like this one, it was perfection.

{sagacious} - austin area photographer

The first sneak from the wedding I shot in September. Isn't Miss J a gorgeous bride?!

I chose a few of my favorites from what I have finished so far... I have SOOO many more to go through it's a bit absurd, but sweet that there were so many special moments to capture. When I shoot it's always about a story going on in my head, I guess it's how I see everything in life, there is always something more than what meets the eye. These are my favorites because I feel like I can clearly see the deeper meaning and feel exactly what I felt when I decided to press down on the shutter button....

I've known J and her father a long time, and they are both strong people. This tender moment passing between them is priceless. I want to print this on a giant canvas just because I think it's so special and a photo that years from now will mean even more to them than it does now. I wish I had more photos with my dad...he's the best man/daddy I've ever known.



J seemed so calm and yet so excited about her wedding. In these two pictures I think it's very clear how she was focused on what was coming and not being lost in the details of a "wedding," she was just ready for the love of her life to take her away.





...and her little Mr. C is still the center of everything for her. No matter how ready and excited for her "own" day, she was putting him first the whole day. I pretty much melted when she was fixing his hair, they call it "putting handsome on." Aww... such a cute mama and boy.

it's time

I had a different day in mind for my day off work, but this day evolved in a way that makes me happy to say my predictions were way off. I planned on working on photos, not self portrait though..which is what I am sharing below.

Most of you knew before my surgery, as I did post those grotesque pictures back in May. For any stragglers or (fat chance) newcomers, I had spinal fusion from L3 to T4 (I think) and a section removed from 3 of my ribs on the left side. It was hellacious and I hope to never have surgery again. My mom was such a trooper to put up with my daily complaints and begging to be euthanized.

The doctor said I would feel better in 6 months and by a year I will be stronger and happier than before surgery. Well, I guess I'm healing "okay," but I'm not a patient person and I have pushed myself a little more than I should have at times. I have been scolded for it, so please spare me any more verbal flogging. Thanks. ;-)



I went back to work full time after about 3 months. Since that point I have made progress such as being able to buckle my shoes (yes, that was impossible), touch the floor, do most of my pilates again, and lift things over 10 lbs. Wow, baby steps. Today though, I was restless and had so much energy... I just needed to run... something I've missed since the day I went under the knife. November 15th is my 6 month mark, where I will be officially cleared for pretty much all normal activity (in moderation). Not so reluctantly I am admitting to you that I ran. I ran and I loved it. I felt like such a stiff and awkward lug, but it was so good to feel a little burn, to sweat like a race horse, and to let myself feel 100% free.

After my run I finished up my workout and showered and then I felt compelled to finally shoot my "after" self portrait. This is me, I'm straight and yeah, still quite frustrated with how limited my flexibility is... but I'm moving, I'm running, I'm not scared of the garish scar that Masyn lifted my shirt to show her new friend from the bus today (yeah, she thinks I'm her personal freak show). I don't know if I believe my doctor yet, if I will ever be glad I chose to have this surgery.... but I am crossing my fingers and enjoying the small triumphs that I am experiencing.



And to my very best and beautiful Canadian friends.. Lady GaGa showing love to the word you've given me to replace my idiotic sounding "huh." Eh, eh!!