First Friday Favorites | December

Ok, let's face it. I haven't been the most faithful blogger this fall! That's not something I'm proud of...but it does give me something to work on in the coming year! ;) This is obviously NOT a "true" first friday post because it's the 21st..3 weeks into December!...and a Saturday (details, details!) but December is my favorite month and by molly & golly, I'm going to post this anyways. 

1. The Nutcracker Ballet. Any year the troupe puts this beloved ballet on in town, our family is so there! I never did have my chance to become a real ballerina...but at least I can appreciate them in my favorite classic! 2. The Tree. Hunting for the perfect tree says "december and all it's cheer has arrived!" I was unable to go along with my family this year...but they did a great job, regardless;) 3. The Cookies: the baking, decorating aaaaand eating! Our neighbors are fantastic creatures and always bring us a plate or two...they're typically long gone by Christmas day. 4. The Music. I may or may not listen to it more months than just #12... Curious as to what my favorite christmas tunes are? Find me on Spotify! 5. The Movies: all the classics like White Christmas, Home Alone, Elf, It's a Wonderful Life...and any cheesy disney/abc-fam/hallmark one you can find! 

and just because I can't help it....here's a fun little peek at some cute lovebirds in the snow!

love always,

amelia renee:)

Christmastime Adventures | Part One | Personal

one of the "rules" of blogging is connecting with those who read your blog in such a way that they feel you are a friend of theirs, someone they know well. I don't think I've done a very good job of doing that...especially lately. ;) so, as I take a break from the social networking death trap (joooking!) and learn to live life more fully, I'll most likely be doing a little more "Personal" blogging. if you enjoy it & getting to see a bit more into my life, i'd really love to hear feedback from you! comments at the end of the post are like presents from you to me—and it doesn't' cost a thing! :) yesterday (sunday) was a grand day. a real good start to the next month of loveliness:) here is what went down: Gingerbread House Decorating! (Suttonquist family style. Boom.) thing one: find all the candy sitting in cupboards and grocery store bags & dump it on the kitchen table.
thing two: have a plan, and get to work. don't be afraid to cut up candies as needed.


thing three: you can't enter a doorless house! make sure the christmas elves have a beautiful doorway to get inside through.
thing four: start decorating! Christmas lights on the edges are a nice touch.
thing five: take time to give lots of encouragement, laughter, & hugs to those around you!
thing six: ok, time for more detail work! take random scraps of gingerbread and find a use for them. [here, we made trees out the odd pieces!]


thing seven: hand over the camera to the younger sister;) this is one of the decorations i had planned from the start...gumdrops on the roof apex!

thing eight: the roof cannot stay plain! use extra frosting to make scalloped shingles for a cutesy touch.
thing nine: dust sprinkles over the scalloped frosting...like snow!

thing ten: play with the "merry christmas" blocks and re-arrange into silly words&phrases.

thing eleven: done! take photos of the finished creation! display it somewhere where the cat won't eat it, but it (and you!) will receive the recognition deserved. ;)





do you make gingerbread houses at christmastime...or something else? i'd love to hear! 
love always, amelia renee:)

I Just.... | Personal

logged out of facebook. and I don't have the intentions to get back on for who-knows-how-long.

breathe in. breathe out.

it can be done, right?! I lived the first 15.5 years of my life without the incredibly addictive & time-sucking but oh-so-magical world of Social Media. but it's crept in to my life, just as I imagine it has yours, and right now it's time to say goodbye.

because goodbyes, I'm learning, aren't all bad.

''goodbye" can also mean "hello."

so, this Christmas break, I'm saying goodbye to newer friends and hello again to old ones. I'm saying goodbye to school books, and hello to books from the public library. This is a lesson of sorts, assigned by my head, inspired by my heart, and lived by my body—a lesson in creativity, in fulfilling productivity and learning to be a child again. So let's say goodbye to eyes tired from the strain of the constantly glowing pixels on the computer screen, and hello to sides sore from hours of laughing over hot cocoa and sloppy cookies with best friends. To old-fashioned nights of caroling at front doors and evenings spent playing a board game for an hour... or four! Hello to revisiting the instruments that sit dusty in the living room or attic, to sitting with your neighbors and gaining wisdom, to loving your family every moment you have them. (in light of yesterday's horrific happenings, you can be sure i'm doing just that!)

how can you be intentional this december? what will you do with your time off school or work to live life to the fullest? I'm not just doing this for me! it's so much more rewarding with friends! leave a comment below if you wish & let me know what you'd love to DO with these next few weeks!



love always,
amelia renee:)

miranda | 2013 senior portraits | waterloo, ia senior portrait photographer

no amount of words can express how amazing this girl is. miranda is simply one of the most generous hearts i know, the kindest soul, and fun-loving, crazy-idea-comer-upper ever! she's the first one to instigate a dance party in the car and will be the first one to your door with your favorite drink & cupcakes when you need a shoulder to cry on. her heart for the broken and hurting, both in waterloo and the rest of the world [specifically africa!] is amazing. she loves people without abandon. you can see the love of Jesus in her eyes. i'm SO blessed to know her, and even more to call her my best friend. she'll go places--heck, she already has!--and it's going to be one crazy adventure!   friends, meet miranda. part free-spirit, part rockstar, complete sweetheart, and 100% gorgeous!





































































love always, amelia renee:)