***AMK Photography***

     So I've dabbled in photography off and on for, well forever. I really enjoy it. I enjoy the happy faces, and even watching the few minutes of meltdowns when the kids aren't doing exactly what the parents want. Over the past five years, I've taken pictures here and there for a little cash. I don't charge a lot, especially for what you receive, and if I had my choice, I'd do it a lot more often than what I'm doing it now! Over time, I'm surely getting better. This past weekend, I decided to photograph my friend Frances' kids out at her grandfather's house. He has the perfect house up on a big hill, with lots of trees that shade and a wonderful yard of soft grass that as an adult kid, Icould run around in for hours!!

     The day was beautiful and the kids were full of energy! Although I think Frances was expecting that I, as a photographer, would want a calm and collected photo shoot, I was well prepared for what I KNEW was going to be a great shoot with lots of energy, a few meltdowns and a lot of happy accidents. Many of these pictures will become Christmas presents, but I wanted to share just a few with you. I don't quite have the camera equipement for the super quick shots, so some of the photos aren't perfect, but I considered them imperfectly perfect photos! I really was able to capture their sweet sweet personalities!

Take a look!

Let me know if you'd like to do a photoshoot!  I'd love to meet your children, small and grown, and capture some memories for you!

...Tote Bag...

To This....

So my awesome sister Angela bought me a brand new Janome sewing machine for my birthday!!  Props to the sister!  Well tonight I officially started my first project without the help of anyone (minus some awesome directions over the phone about straps...)

First up, if you know me, right now, although I don't wear it often, because I don't own a lot, I'm in LOVE with grey and yellow together!  So this weekend while I was hanging out with the boyfriend and his son, we bought the material.  I said "we" because my sweet sweet boyfriend bought the material.  Can I just say how much I love that boy!!??  His son and him together in a fabric store are a hoot, let me know and I'll rent them out to you!  They had all the girls entertained as Stephen picked out good fabrics and Austin would come back with even better ones. Mind you Stephen was seriously picking out stuff...he's a picky man. Austin was just being a jokester and making us bought laugh.  It was defintiely a fun time at the fabric store. 

Anyway.... I decided to do my own pattern.  I have a tote that I decorated for Vacation Bible School this year, so I took those measurements and I'm going to wing it!  Yep, first big girl project and I am WINGING IT!  Go me!! 

So it went from this...  

To This....

It's nothing fancy...and I may still add some trimwork to the top, but I completed it in just under 3 hours. Not too bad for my first, no pattern, make up the "ruffle" as I go kind of bag!!!

...siblings...

I can't imagine a world without sisters and brothers.  I feel for the child that has no siblings or no close relatives that act like siblings.  I've grown up with two older sisters and two younger brothers and one younger girl cousin.  To say I've grown up with a few siblings would be an understatement.  No, we're not the Duggars, but there are a few of us. 

Just a few of us... Chris, Angela and Alicia

My oldest sister Tiffany has a heart of gold, she loves gardening and baking, and man can she bake!  She's an excellent cook too!  Between my dad and her mom, she got a double whammy of genes in the cooking field. 

My older sister Angela is super smart, very giving, sweet as pie and very caring when it comes to others.  She showcases God's love to everyone around her and is going to be an excellent mother! 

My older little brother Christopher is hard working, great with vehicles and can make just about anything grow in a garden.  He loves animals and has a huge heart.

My baby brother Jason enjoys his work and works hard daily to do everything from his regular job to his side business, he's loyal and a great man of God.

My cousin Lisa is a really good mother to her two boys, has grown into a really great woman. She loves animals of any sort would take care of you in a heartbeat, even if it meant giving you the shirt off of her back. 

As we've gotten older we've grown up, but we've also moved away from each other, some more than others.  Although I saw my entire sibling group this weekend, minus my oldest sister, I still hate that we're all so far away from each other.  I somehow wish we all still lived within walking distance of each other.  However, it makes the time we do have with each other super special. This weekend was one of those special weekends.  My older sister and I spent Thursday night with my cousin, having dinner, doing homework with her oldest and just hanging out.  Friday was spent just her and I at the beach and running around before picking up my brother in law and Saturday was spent with our entire family, both brothers included to celebrate in the new baby that my sister will soon give birth too.  I'm so excited to watch her growing belly, even if it will be over Skype, and I'm over the moon that I hope in early December when I fly to see them, that I will be able to meet my new niece! 

Everyone says it, but I know it's true that I have the best brother's and sisters in the whole world!

Love you guys!

...Oh life...

It's amazing how quickly life can change, one day my father is holding me in his arms as a small child, the next, I'm in my 30's and I'm getting the call I never want to receive again.!

My father went into Shands in May of this year with a massive heart attack.  It was a very scary time for all of us.  My newly pregnant sister flew in and all of us kids gathered at the hospital.  He had to take precautions and was sent home to rest for 6-8 weeks.  He quickly learned that his stubbornness didn't help matters and finally was able to get an O2 tank to breath on every night. 

Go forward to July 6th, and he had his heart surgery.  They expected a triple bypass, a correction of his aortic valve and a correction to an aneurysm.  However, they ended up doing a quintuple bypass.. yes you heard me right, a five way bypass as well as everything else.  It's those first few days I could do without, as they've been the hardest and the most up and down.  Many people love him and have been praying for him.  He's finally starting to do really well.  He's breathing on his own and will even get to eat real food tonight!  It's something that I had just handed over to God, and continue to.  If it's my father's time, then that's God's call not mine.  It's a hard pill to swallow, I can just begin to imagine what Moses went through when he was willing to sacrifice his own child.  Because of his trust in the Lord, God gave him back his child and rewarded him for his trust.  I know God can still take my Daddy at any time.  I know and trust when that time does come, Jesus will hold me in His own hands because only He will be able to comfort me through that. 

Life is an intersting thing.  It's something that sometimes takes a massive heart attack to wake you up.  I surely hope if he walks out of that hospital in a few weeks that the alarming factor of how serious his condition is will shake him just enough to want to cling on to God more.