Sing Photography Untucked

Butterflies......

We spent a couple of days during Spring Break at Callaway Gardens. Perfect little overnight trip. The butterfly garden was a huge hit especially with a certain 3 year old. We even had to make a second visit before we headed home.

My Crib.....

This is a wall in the boy's room that we put together a few weeks ago. I took this idea from a Pottery Barn catalog from last summer. I love how it turned out, and so do they. I love that it is a perfect way display lots of photos of them that I love. And I can rotate them out as new favorites come along. It was hard choosing which photos to use because I have so many favorites of them. So to make it easy on me, I decided to keep it current. These are 16x20's and 12x18's. Thanks for stopping by!!!! 

Spring Breakin'

Happy Spring Break folks! I am signing off here for about a week and wanted to say bon spring before I go. I will be checking email a couple of times while on break, but no blogging, no computer and gonna step away from the t.v too. I need the detox and am looking forward to it. I am pretty much caught up on editing and client orders have been sent or processed. Yippee! This break happens to coincide perfectly with The Artist's Way group I am in. As there is a week where a complete media break is suggested. Even a break from books as reading can sometimes be a form of escape in the same way as tv, computers, email, etc. The premise is that with all of these someone else's words, thoughts, images and ideas are being put in our heads. And we can get to where we aren't listening to our inner thoughts and ideas. I'll let ya know how it goes and if I come up with anything insightful. I'll admit, at first I pretty much became somewhat irritated, restless and angry at the thought of it. But, now that it has had a chance to sink in, I am excited. And have had some fun ideas and plans and projects just at the thought of it. 

I enjoyed my camera this morning as I walked around our yard to welcome spring. I tend to live in the big ideas part of my brain, so stopping to notice details can be pretty good for me. From the looks of the weather forecast, looks like today may be the only glimpse of spring we see for a while. And a nature photographer I ain't, but here are a few from my wanderings........

Ahhh! Moss growing on garden accents makes me happy.......we have kind of an English garden motif going on around here.......

Irises are lovely.....

As is dew on grass....

And these....these are lovely too.....

I love that life is so big that it can burst through concrete. Here is a bit of green pushing it's way through cement.....

Ok. Gotta be real here. After such a wet, cold and yucky winter. Which came after a hot, and draught filled summer. We have some garden projects cut out for us. Can't lie. We really have kind of a Boo Radley yard motif going on. Here we have the flower bed at the mailbox. Weeds have taken over. Time to get to de-weeding and planting. Not gonna this week. Just spring breakin.....

And lots of algae and muck to clean from everywhere after all the rain......

Enjoy your week! Let me know what you are up to. Peace and love! Amy

change in plans....

causes me to torture the dawg. These rainy weekends are bringing about quite a few photo session switcheroos. The session on the books for this morning was moved to tomorrow. In the meantime, the change in plans had me just wandering around trying to decide what to with the day. I will edit a few sessions sure, direct Marty while he hangs some pictures, play with the boys and maybe organize a closet or 2. But, I just spent part of the morning enjoying my favorite past time. Aggravating Lulu. Lulu has lots of places around the house she loves to curl up in. Recently, we have been finding her staking claim to the boy's bottom bunk. It's Garrett's bed. He loves to find her in it. At 10 years old, it's perfect for her. The mattress of the bed actually rests on the floor so she won't throw her 10 year old Basset Hound back out jumping on or off of it. Here is what I found during my morning wandering.....

Awww, all asleep and cozy listening to the heavenly sound of the rain on the roof......

I don't have to explain this look do I? She has spotted me and knows I am there to annoy her.

But, she is used to it and just goes back to sleep. Those scars on her nose are from a vicious dog fight she was in. Did you see it? It was on that FOX show...."When Bassets Attack." Not really, it was from her putting her nose where it doesn't belong. She was bitten by a spider. It was horrible. She is sensitive about it now. It ended her modeling career.

I like to position her ears just so.....

Sometimes I try out different arrangements. Lulu is very happy the scrunchie is no longer in vogue. I used to pull her ears back in a scrunchie. She looks cute in a bandana too.....

Ok, I'm leaving now. But not before I adjust her ears to my liking one last time....

Happy Saturday everyone! Hope you are enjoying a lazy rainy day. Stay dry, take a nap or enjoy a book! xoxo, Amy

Mi Famiglia

Because a full weekend of rain caused photo session rescheduling, there is an interruption in the normal client session updates. Here are a few of my own family snapshots for ya......

The killer springtime weekend Atlanta had a week ago of course found us Hunsingers dying to get outside and about town. And, of course I had my camera with me and I am tickled at how we came away with our own family photo session of the day. We hit some of our favorite places. Started out by grabbing sandwiches and picnic goodies at Belly General Store, then hit our favorite park (The Cunard Memorial Park), and after the park, headed over to get ice cream at Jake's at The Irwin Street Market. 

Picking out goodies at Belly....

Then to the park....

This shot below makes me all kinds of happy. Self family portrait with camera held out in front by me thanks to the 16-35mm 2.8 lens.

And after park time, some ice cream. I had red velvet cake. Looove Jake's!

Garrett enjoying his iced animal cracker flavah....

Both boys love my camera. Garrett took these next 2. He is currently in his extreme close up phase...

Thank you Jack for the photograph below.....

And thanks to Marty for catching these of me torturing Garrett with kisses......

Cool Quote.....

Happy Sunday! Hope all is well and right with you today. Our inspirational minister this morning during church used a quote that made me sit up and smile. Now, I ain't trying to teach, preach or anything else here. I simply dig when words speak to me and kind of propel me forward a bit. I love quotes and how the right ones seem to pop out at me at the right time in life. Coming upon one is always a great way to reflect on thoughts or feelings in a way that maybe I couldn't say myself. This quote is from Helen Keller......"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired and success achieved." 

These words caused me to breathe in deeply today. Now, seriously, there isn't any trial and suffering going on over here at the moment. Been there, sure. Will be there again, we all will. But just for today the trial and suffering part speaks to me in a way of living out loud. Not staying safe or in "ease and quiet". Like being messy and making mistakes. Becoming active toward a crazy goal or dream that has felt too scary to mention. Really listening to small inner voice ideas that feel perfect but may not be the way the neighbors or others would go about doing something. And doing it anyway, just because it is right for me or me and my family. These kinds of realizations are so cool because they make me less judging or critical of how others are going about their own lives. Also, that when I do go for it and live authentically, people are really loving and accepting. I often am my own toughest critic.

Now, I also don't have any big ol' earth shattering or crazy news to tell ya to go along with such a dramatic post. I am on class 2 of The Artist's Way class this evening and am headed there in a bit. It is a 12 week course that is a journey in getting rid of blocks, listening to your authentic voice and on and on. It is a course that is perfect for me this springtime! I am noticing a theme running through my life lately of dusting off the cobwebs and listening to myself and getting out there and going for it. Whatever it may be. Messy mistakes and all. Here's to developing character!

Little Bit O'Snow......

= lots of excitement.

Girl's Weekend Part Deux

As promised, more awesomeness from our Girl's Weekend photo shoots........

The fun, crazy and gorgeous Sarah totally dropped it like it's hot against this orange wall....

LA-Ove these of the hip and hawt Dawnn. Dawnn is one of the wittiest, coolest gals I know....

And Michele worked it in town for a bit. (At the photo shoot that is.) Diggin' these of Shelley.....

Next here is the wild, crazy and stunning Kim......

And the uber fun and talented photographer Les. She's my gal. She's a great example of a true friend....

A few randoms....

The whole gang....

Lulu Lately

Lulu is our first baby and it's hard to believe, but Friday she'll be 10 years old. We're going to celebrate with a trip to the dog bakery. Last night we made a fire and she is pretty funny when she sees it going. She likes to be right in front of it and moves her bed from across the room to be so close to the fireplace we're waiting for her to come away with singed fur. She stays that close until she comes away panting from heat exhaustion, then goes back for more. We could help her move her bed, but we really get so entertained watching her wrestle and with it across the room.  

Lulu has alot of funny habits and quirks that we not only put up with, but also enable:

As mentioned, she loves to be pretty hot and toasty. Like a baked potato. She likes to be all the way under the covers and stands beside us a certain way, with a particular look on her face that lets us know she wants to be covered up. And we do. With a pillow placed under her head. 

She will not drink water after other dogs, so if a dog buddy comes over here or she goes to a dog buddy's house, then the water bowl has to be cleaned out before she will drink out of it. If another dog has been around, she smells the bowl first to check. So, of course, drinking out of those dog park bowls is out of the question. Seriously, she has made herself almost dehydrated from this neuroses of hers. 

She also does not like it if she is trying to sleep and the room she is in is getting pretty loud. She'll start tossing and turning very vocally in her bed to let you know that she is being disturbed, then will finally leave the room in a huff if it doesn't get quiet. I think we have actually gotten quiet before so Lulu would not have to get up.

Lulu refuses to believe she is a Basset Hound. She loves other dogs, but totally ignores other Bassets when we run in to them. She turns up her nose at them. She loves to run and play with Retrievers and other big dogs. 

She buries her rawhide bones on top of the carpet or in dirty clothes piles. Or other obvious places. She is always shocked when we find them, pick them up and give them back to her. She gets a bit nervous also when we're close to finding one. She stands on guard and kind of looks around somewhat shifty eyed.

She has a couple of tricks too. If you drop a piece of people food into her bowl she can hear it from wherever she may be in the house and will come running. She also shakes hands.

Lulu has made the last 10 years of our lives so much sweeter just by remaining herself. She's never complained one bit when the long walks and fun weekends of her early years were pushed to the side once a couple of silly boys came along. She's just known that they need our full attention and care and hung around patiently. This cool dog has adapted gracefully through all of that and now soaks up all of the love and attention the boys now give her. They love to dote on her, read to her, show her things, talk softly to her, make her chase them around the house and feed her Scooby Snacks. Miss Lulu has seen so much around here in 10 years. We couldn't have asked for a better mama dog to help raise our boys. Love you Wuwu! 

Can't you just smell the hot doggie popcorn smell in these pics?

What I haven't been taking enough of.......

While going through our personal photos, (I have been trying to get our family pics into some kind of order on my computer) I have stopped dead in my tracks a few times to take in so many of our everyday snapshots. I have totally been slacking off in that department over here. I just pulled the above shot, but could have picked any. In this one from almost 2 years ago, I see my 16 month old baby Garrett wearing his brother's hand me down outfit and taking in his favorite activity at the time, rolling cars on the coffee table. This kept him entertained for so long back then. I can remember his little voice and I know that on the back of his head (where you can't see in this snap), is a sweet little fuzz head of baby hair that used to grow in different than the rest. And he would lay on it from sleeping or the car seat and it would stick out. And for some reason, I would try to fix it all the time. It doesn't do that anymore. And Jack is back there watching something really sweet like Playhouse Disney or Nick Jr. 

Then, I pulled out the camera a couple of days ago while we were pulling out the Xmas decorations. Took just some random shots. Nothing special, but what will surely be the sweetest of memories not too far down the road from now. There will be a facial expression or a t-shirt or a toy that I might have forgotten. And I know I will remember how thrilled they were this year. How Garrett kept saying "Wow!" at everything. And Jack kept letting us know where everything goes because he remembers from last year. The house is a mess and I could go on and on, but that stuff won't be remembered because it doesn't really matter at all.

So, I was thinking it would be fun to start a project here. A December Random Photo A Day. (Conveniently, December 1st is tomorrow) I'd love for you to join in if you feel inspired to do so. I will post to an album here on the blog and would love for you to join along too! You can post in the comments a link to your blog if you have one, or email me your photo and I'll put it here in our DRPAD album. 

No rules, if you start late, or miss a day, no big deal. Photos could be about the season or if you can't stand the season, you could work it out through your pics! So, theme or no theme, either way is cool. Can be taken with your SLR, point and shoot, or cell phone! Imperfect photographs rock! You can leave a description, title or just let the picture say it all. Also, wouldn't it be cool to make a photo album of your random December shots at the end of the month? Would love to have you join in! Looking forward to the inspiration in our everyday lives!  Happy photographing, Amy