by Amy | Jan 2, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Adventure, The Art of Faith, The Art of Gathering, The Art of Living, The Art of Projects, The Art of the Kitchen, The Art of the Moment, the house
Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe we have entered another year. If your life is anything like mine…it’s felt like a whirlwind ever since Thanksgiving. Yikes. But now the festivities are behind us and it’s time to learn from the past year and step into a fresh, new season.
The year goes by so fast that I often feel like it passed in a blur. {Any one second that?} I have to remind myself that a year is a long time. A lot can happen. One life can do a lot in one year. I really believe that and I hope you do too. For me 2013 could have been a very hard, negative year…but I think we chose how we spend our time and resources and energy. We can let negative circumstances weigh us down…or allow them to give us a chance to brush up on our hurdling skills. I may have banged my shins on hurdles a few times in the past 365, but I can confidently say that I cleared them all.
And if you don’t believe a lot can get done in a year…let’s look back at the biggest moments of a year with Amy Allender. (more…)
by Amy | Dec 18, 2013 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
On a day, not so long ago I was in one of the greatest places on earth: Elkhart, IN. While I was there, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to do a few Christmas photos for my favorite {and only} Allender sibling. Newsflash. My sister is precious.
We debated staying indoors, but thought that temps in the 20’s would be warm enough to face. That was a mistake. They look beautiful, but I was behind the camera coat on, scarf tight, and hood up…shivering. Those pups, cute, right? Watch the big one’s eyes. She’s completely absorbed by the squirrel activity going on around her. The little one is in a sweater, but that didn’t stop her from being completely pathetic in the winter air. Sweet babies. Can you tell my sis likes her dogs?
by Amy | Dec 17, 2013 | Blog
Once upon a time it was the day before Thanksgiving in Practically Canada. And bitter cold. The night time lows were getting well below zero and the wind chill was simply brutal.
My parents were coming in from out of town later that evening, so I took a moment in the afternoon to get a few last minute supplies, groceries {and coffee} for the days ahead. I was only gone an hour. When I returned I did what I always do as I turn into the driveway: as the steering wheel guides the car over the curb I push the garage door opener. That way it’s open just enough to drive under by the time I roll up to the door.
But this day there was something different when the door opened. There was something furry on the saw table. It was small and dark. My first thought was that it was some kind of rodent. Then it turned its face toward me and I realized it was a kitten. But as fast as it looked at me, it hopped off the table and scurried off to hide in the depths of the garage.
Eventually I got my hands on a cold, squirmy kitten. She was so happy to be held and started purring right away. She nestled into my neck and put her face in my scarf. Precious. I sat her down to go inside and get something for the little one to eat and some warm milk to drink. However, when I came back moments later she was gone. I could hear her meowing. Somewhere distant. Somewhere muffled. I left the food on the table and headed back inside. After all, it was bitter cold. As I headed inside one question was still on my mind: How on earth did this kitten get into the garage? Who knows.
Hours later when Derek got home I asked him if he saw anything unusual in the garage when he parked. Nope. So I told him {not to be mad} to come outside with me. When we went outside the milk was gone, the food was gone…but there was no cat. Just muffled mews. We looked. Under the cars, behind the scrap wood, under the paint shelf. Nothing. Finally, we tracked the sound to my car. Derek popped the hood, thinking we might be able to see her if she had crawled up on the under body.
And there she was. Curled up, keeping warm on the engine. Her whiskers were shorter on one side than the other, a little fur seemed burned..which led us to believe that she came to be in the garage because she rode home. I think she crawled up to the warm hood in a cold parking lot and stowed away back to my house.
But I had a problem. A kitten with no home, a cat of my own who hates other cats, closed shelters for the long holiday weekend.
We popped both hoods and left the kitten over night. On Thanksgiving Day the one and only Katie {cat lover} came over to pick up a cinnamon roll after our morning run. I showed her the kitten. She held it. And just like that…BAM. Thanksgiving miracle. The kitten rode home with her that morning. Now she lives happily ever after with Katie, Sean, and of course…her big brother Bandit. Precious, right?
I love a happy ending.
Amy
by Amy | Dec 12, 2013 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
My how I’ve missed you. Let’s see…all kinds of things have gone on here since we last caught up. There was a Thanksgiving miracle–which I’ll tell you about in a couple days because I need a few extra photos. I went to Indiana for a wedding. I got trapped in a 5-alarm Chicago snow storm, which lead to a long night in the O’Hare Airport and a 24 hour commute back to Practically Canada. Whilst stuck en route my throat began feeling like it had been rubbed down with sand paper. Once I made it back home I was fully sick and the PraCan air welcomed me with a cozy -3 degrees {F}. That was nothing compared to this morning’s -18. So yes, I’m back and I’m diving into the jolliness of the holidays head first. Well, DayQuil first, but I’ll be there as soon as my nose lets me breathe again.
But I’m getting off topic. Let’s kick the Amy Allender Christmas Season with a look at my favorite shots from all of my chalkboard mini sessions. Golly that was a good investment of time and energy. It totally worked over time and I had a blast taking all these Christmas photos for so many precious families! Tonight I’m sharing my absolute favorite shot from each session. {Seriously, have you seen cuter kids??} Take a look.
{Recognize that last name? Yep, that adorable couple is my mom and dad.}
And if you thought I wasn’t using this for our Christmas card…you were sorely mistaken. Of course we posed for a few in front of the “wall.”
Have a jolly night. See you tomorrow.
Amy
PS–It wouldn’t be the Christmas season without a few melt downs from these cute kids. I had one cry when her daddy did a Santa impression. Another took a tumble off one of the props. Another was throwing poinsettias. Of all those moments the only one I caught on camera was this melt-down-moment. Classic.
by Amy | Dec 6, 2013 | Blog
I hope a whole load of you tuned in tonight to watch the adorable Carrie Underwood and a whole cast of talented folks performed “The Sound of Music” live on NBC. It’s good. I mean, it’s not Julie Andrews…but it’s really good nonetheless.
As I sat watching, I got thinking about the real Von Trapp family. If you’ve ever watched a movie with me, you know I have a specific routine. I pull up IMDB and read all the trivia. Then throughout the movie I spout off random facts. I like to think it enriches the viewing experience.
So tonight I did a little research and made this list of 10 thing you didn’t know about the Von Trapps {or the Sound of Music.}
1. You know that classic aerial shot of Julie Andrews {Maria} at the beginning of the original movie? It was shot from a helicopter. Ms. Andrews later stated that every take ended with her falling over due to the high wind produced by the helicopter.
2. Captain Von Trapp was not the stern, harsh man he seems to be in the musical and movie. His children describe him as a warm, musically inclined man who was a good parent. The actual Von Trapp family was upset by his portrayal, but writers insisted that it was a better character choice for him to be a stereotypical “military man.”
3. Maria Von Trapp was 33 when this whole thing went down.
4. The Von Trapp family didn’t actually walk out of the country. They walked to the train and the train took them away for an American tour. They did not leave in secrecy. However, they did make it just in time…only a day before Austria closed its borders.
5. You can stay at the Von Trapp home. The Von Trapp clan eventually migrated to the US. They settled in Stowe, Vermont. As early as 1950, the family began welcoming guests to stay at their large family lodge. After a fire, the lodge renovated into a beautiful 96 room lodge that is still open today!
6. The family toured in Europe then in America as a singing group. While most of the original gang have hung up their performing shoes…the great grandchildren of Captain and Maria Von Trapp are now in the business of making music. You can even see them in concert.
7. Georg Von Trapp really did get to be on thin ice with the Nazi party. He refused to fly the Nazi flag and even turned down an invitation to sing at Hitler’s birthday party.
8. This is the real Maria Von Trapp
9. In the original movie Charmian Carr, who played Liesl, was not 16 going on 17. Rather she was 22 and performed the iconic song and dance on an injured ankle.
10. The Sound of Music held the title of Most Popular Movie Musical until it was surpassed by Grease 13 years later. It was a good run, and if you ask me…it’s still number on in a lot of our hearts.
Amy
by Amy | Dec 5, 2013 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Gathering, The Art of Projects, The Art of the Kitchen, The Art of the Moment
Did you have a happy Thanksgiving?
I sure did.
As most of my holidays go, the day revolved around being in the moment with family and friends. Oh, and it also involved quite a bit of food too. I’m a big fan of eating later in the day so that there isn’t a big rush with baking the turkey. It also takes away the need for a second giant meal of the day…we do dinner, pie, tea, games and bed time. Eating at dinner time {instead of that awkward 2pm “lunch”} gave everyone time for a little Thanksgiving activity time.
For Derek and my dad that meant time in the field hunting. For mom and me it meant time at the gym for a little turkey trot {aka an hour on the treadmill.} Of course we were home in time for THE parade.
You like the place setting in the photo above? I thought you might. I bought a new {cheap} table cloth from Target’s Threshold line. I just love that stuff. Then I topped it off with a runner made from some unhemmed gingham fabric I had in the basement. My favorite part of the table was the place mats I whipped up. They are paper bags I ran through the printer {cut to 8.5″ x 16″ long} with this adorable free printable. Paper bags! {And you know how I like paper bags.}
On the menu:
An herb rubbed turkey stuffed with sliced apples. It was just enough sweet. Mashed potatoes mashed with nonfat Greek yogurt, milk, chicken bullion, garlic and green onions. Homemade yeast rolls that Mom and I worked on throughout the afternoon. Jiffy corn casserole {it’s a classic, but I sub Greek yogurt for the sour cream called for in the recipe.} Sweet potatoes with cinnamon and pecans. Apple butter. And the prettiest part of our meal, apple cider sangria. Thanksgiving and Christmas are two of the few days of the year I have a glass of wine, and I can’t think of much prettier than this sangria with pieces of apple floating in the glass. And since Derek doesn’t drink at all {ever} he had his non alcoholic. Just cider with apples in a fancy glass. {Which means this can be a fancy drink for the whole family.}
As much as I like cooking and setting the table, my favorite part of the day is sharing a meal with a table full of people I adore. After the meal comes something I like even more than eating…games. Then of course, hot beverages {tea, coffee, cocoa} and pie. Between activities there is lots of chatter, story telling and foolery. I love the rhythm of Thanksgiving at our house.
Where’s my mom? Probably on the couch with Derek and me…occupying my dad’s lap after dinner was his “lap” dog.
This year was very special because the living room was taken over by the chalkboard for mini sessions. But for us it only added to the merriment because it meant that I could take Katie and Sean’s Christmas photos. Here’s a peek. You’ll have to wait a few days for the rest…
xo Amy
by Amy | Nov 25, 2013 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
If you are a fan of the Facebook page, you may have seen a small post about a super secret mini session I did a week ago. Well…the secret is out! And now you get to see the big reveal.
Some dear friends are expecting baby #2. You may recognize baby #1 from her pumpkin patch session, family photos, cake smash…She’s so stinkin’ cute, I can only imagine what the next one will be like!
So darn cute. This session alone proves that my giant chalkboard was so worth the effort. And if you like this, just wait until you see the Christmas sessions I shot this weekend! Adorbes.
Amy
by Amy | Nov 22, 2013 | Blog
I know it’s late. I had a crazy day. And there are a couple more crazy days ahead. That’s okay, though. Crazy days mean you are doing something. No one calls a day spent on the couch binge watching Park & Recreation “crazy.” A day is only crazy when you’ve done a lot of things. Personally, I’d take a crazy day any day.
But seeing that it is late. Late on the night of November 21st…I thought it would only be appropriate to talk about what happens at midnight tonight. The Catching Fire movie premiere!!
Guilty, I’m a big time Hunger Games fan. Okay, I’m a fan of a lot of teen-ish fiction. I like stories that aren’t too deep. I like stories that I can’t put down, with easy words, and plots that aren’t 100% realistic. And, since they are for teenagers, usually they aren’t full of sex or misguided “ideals” of marriage. Those are hot buttons for me. I love good, Godly marriages and I’ll defend them to the death. To the death I say.
Okay, I’m done ranting.
Anyway. Hunger Games, tonight! Awesome. So I thought we’d spend some time drooling over some HG inspired things buzzing right now.
Let’s start here. Cover Girl has a “Capitol Beauty Studio” line out. The site is awesome. Every district has a specific look based on their industry. Every look is broken down so you can recreate it at home…it even includes a way to tone down the look into something you can wear outside the Capitol.
On the craftier side of things, let’s revisit my old blog for a little mocking jay action. When the first movie released I had a crafting party with a couple friends. I still love my mocking jay pin and head band. Oh, and check out my red hair…Click over for my HG’s crafts.
Now food. Of all the Hunger Games food in the world, I think I love these cupcakes from Erica’s Sweet Tooth most of all. I like them because they are doable. No making a frosting mocking jay here. That’s got fail written all over it. You should go to her site, it’s got adorable all over the place.
What’s a Hunger Games post without plugging the best part of this franchise? Jennifer Lawrence! I have a major girl crush on her. She’s so awkward, so talented, so real. I love a good awkward girl. And this one takes the cake. Here is a gallery of Awkward JL photos.
But let’s be honest. The downside of the Catching Fire premiere is that it will only last a couple hours. Then it’s back to waiting. Oh, what to do, what to do in the mean time. I’d say, you should find a new book to love. My I kindly recommend one of these?
Divergent {series of three books}. The Maze Runner {again, series of three…looove this one!!} Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
Or, if you want something more adult for a change, you should read Unbroken. It’s a true story, and it’s amazing. I’m 150 pages in and it’s just blowing my mind.
