I dream.

I dream...

of fields, white with a blanket of snow...

of taxis gliding down busy streets on a rainy day...

of black and white movies topped with happy endings...

of sunny days spent outdoors...

of crafting snowmen and making snow angels...

of my whole family together, our backs warm and cheeks pink from the fire...

of walking down a French street in a summery frock, holding fresh vegetables and bread in hand...

of butterfly and eskimo kisses after bedtime stories...

of driving for hours with nowhere to go...




of wishing with all my might in a field of dandelions...

Thankful goodness

Things I am thankful for on this lovely Thanksgiving:

Pumpkin pies.
My family.
The warmth of my wool blanket.
My camera.
Natural light.
Christmas decorations ready to be placed.
Mac & cheese and fried chicken (the southerner's Thanksgiving meal)
The touch of a loved one.
My crochet needles.
My friendships.
Saturday mornings.
Fuzzy socks when the draft in my old house is too much for my poor feet to handle.
Dad's encouraging words.
Joking around with Mama.
My brother's blushed cheeks.
My sister's warm hands.
My golden retriever's precious head on my lap.
The amazing readers of my blog... I thank each and every one of you...
Who would have thought that a crazy 15 year old could love blogging this much?... and that would be because of all of you...

Most of all, I am thankful for this hectic, sticky, insane, crazy, wonderful mess of a life that I am incredibly blessed to have.

May your Thanksgiving be absolutely perfect.

Great love and thanks,
suzyQ

It's the simple things... (a few days late)

Steaming apple cider in the chilly mornings.
The smell of rain...
My moccasins.
Brushing the hair out of my brother's sweet eyes.
Staying inside all day watching Christmas movie marathons- I love this time of year.
The smell of chili throughout my home- making me anxious for tomorrow's supper.
The fact that Thanksgiving is arriving...
Scribbling the beginnings of Christmas lists with my sugar-filled siblings.
The heat from the fire that is warming my toes at the moment...
The preparations for a pumpkin pie.
The freckle-nosed little girl smiling up at me in the choir loft at church this morning.
Going to sleep every night with the comfort of having my sister beside me throughout the night..

and the beautiful kitten that curiously watched the crazy teenager going camera-wild at the sign of leaves...

go here for more simple things.

Much love,
suzyQ

I am in love.

I am in love... with fall. Pumpkin pie, blazing fires, and the smell. Oh yeah, that is my favorite part. I am on my way to jump in a pile of leaves and crochet myself a scarf.

Hope your fall is as lovely as mine.

Much Love,
suzyQ

on and on...

We were thirteen, on the brink of high school. Everything would soon be changed- our friendships, our schoolwork, our shoe sizes, our teachers, and our lives. But on that warm, humid summer night down by the dock with the crickets humming us a tune and the fish quietly splashing in the pond beneath us, nothing mattered- nothing mattered at all. It was just the four of us; me, with my braces and sun-kissed cheeks, the two boys- 12 feet and battle scars between the two of them, and my best friend, with her sandy feet and over sized t-shirt. Fishing poles in hand, casual conversation, and bubble gum that lost its flavor the hour before; this is all that was on our minds that night. Our palms were sticky, the bonfire was dying down, the fish were long asleep... but we didn't mind. We sat out there for hours with no light but the moon.

On that summer night, the world's end wouldn't have bothered us. That night, on the cusp of young adulthood with our scraggly hair and torn blue jeans, a special, everlasting bond formed between the four of us... those clumsy country kids will never disappear...

no matter what.

and the crickets hum on and on...


-suzyQ

And a little more...

Here are a few more sister shots... enjoy!

-suzyQ

Portraits

Have been really busy lately, but here are some glimpses of some of my portraits. (click on each picture to get the full view... I hate how small they turn out on my page! They also look clearer when you click.)


This beautiful girl is my sister- how lucky am I to have such a fantastic model living right at home??

Have a marvelous, blissful, serene weekend.
Much love,
suzyQ

Saturday Mornings

Waking up to the smell of pancakes. Hurrily putting on my wool moccasins and bathrobe to grab one before the rest of my family devours them. Sleepy eyes and scraggly hair. Orange juice on the back porch. Cartoons constantly showing on every t.v in the house. Good ole Log Cabin syrup on sticky fingers. Browsing blogs to my soul's content. Finally changing out of my pajamas around noon. Then gradually doing the dishes... usually around one or two.

This would have to be my favorite day of the week. Lazy mornings and late nights filled with fun- what could be better?

Will be looking forward to next Saturday all week....


Have a great day.
-suzyQ