The Tennessee Theater

Have I ever told y'all how much I love the Tennessee Theater here in Downtown Knoxville. It opened it's doors in grand style back in 1928! It's an amazingly beautiful old theater that recently was restored to its full grandeur. And y'all know Emma-Caroline just had her ballet performance on the stage where all sorts of entertainers, famous or not, have stood for the past 83 years. Just think of that! A-MA-ZING!!! Can you also tell I just love history! Last Saturday evening, Howie and I celebrated our anniversary a couple of days early and ventured Downtown for dinner and just some time to be by ourselves. We had a great time. The photos from Monday were done in a silly attempt to take a photo of the two of us. We then headed on over to, you guessed it, the Tennessee Theater. Of course i snapped a few, or ten, or fifty shots of the theater at night. Here's one of those shots. Isn't she lovely!

f 4, 1/10, ISO 200

Sharing with Patty for Photo-a-la-{M}ode. And I have a question for my friend Patty. How would I take this same photo of the Tennessee Theater and get the theater in focus with the cars moving by blurred. Tried several ways, but it didn't quite work.

Sweet Baby

One of my dear friends daughter was baptised on Mother's Day at our church. I was so blessed to be able to photograph not only her baptism at the church, but also this sweet little girl in her baptismal gown. It was an honor to be a part of this most holy occasion. I think that is what I enjoy most about my camera, being able to document a moment that will be cherished for years to come.

f 1.8, 1/500, ISO 125, White Balance: Cloudy Sharing this shot with Patty for Photo a la {M}ode

Sneak Peek . . . Ballet Recital

We have just arrived home from Emma-Caroline's first ballet recital at the Tennessee Theater. Both of my girls fell asleep on the ride home from Downtown Knoxville and I am not far behind. It was a wonderful performance and we are very proud of our little ballerina's debut on the stage. Here is a sneak peek photo. I will post more about Emma-Caroline's night tomorrow. Fittingly enough, her dance was called "Snow Dreams." I am off to have a few snow dreams of my own.

Hydrangeas

I have to say that I LOVE the hydrangea. They are elegantly beautiful with their delicate lacy flowers gathered in a sphere-like cluster. One of the reasons we loved the house that we now call home is because of all of the hydrangeas that SURROUND the back yard. To say that I will be completely overjoyed in a couple of weeks when all of these lovely plants are in full bloom is an understatement.

It is quite the site to behold and I can't wait!!! I will definitely be posting about these beauties when they are in their splendor.

Until then, here are a few photos of some store bought lovelies from our Easter table. They just now withered. Yet another reason to love the hydrangea!

Sweet CeCe's

I am sure it is probably this way in many cities across the U.S., but it seems Knoxville has been descended upon by the yogurt store entrepreneurs of America. We have Menchi's, Fro-Yoz's and now Sweet CeCe's all within a 3 mile radius of each other. It's actually quite funny how these little "IT" stores pop up each year. Last year it was the super car wash franchise with the free vacuums. This year, it's yogurt.    So I've tried the three afore mentioned stores and I have come to the conclusion that Sweet CeCe's is the best of the three.

I have clear reasons for this decision.

For one, the yogurt at Sweet CeCe's is the creamiest of all three stores. They are also VERY clean.

The sprinkles station is housed in a more sanitary device with a turn knob instead of scoops and bins into which kids can stick their hands (YUCK!).

They also offer VERY fresh fruit for a healthier topping option. Their pricing is also lower than the other two franchises. I also really like the decor of Sweet CeCe's, but that is a matter of cosmetics, not a reason to like a place better.

The attendants of the store also interact with you and explain about the different flavors. They seem to really care about the store and your experience there instead of just being there to take your money and restock the yogurt cups.

So if you are a Knoxvillian and haven't tried Sweet CeCe's, check it out! It's next to the Fresh Market. I think you'll enjoy your visit.

Sharing the above shot with Patty at Finding Serendipity for Photo a la {M}ode.

f 1.8, 1/160, ISO 320, 35mm

May Day!

It's hard to believe that May is here already! Winter held tightly with it's long cold days that seemed like they would go on forever. Finally, Spring burst through breaking Winter's tight grip and then the days have seemed to fly by with beautiful sunshine, warm temperatures, and lots of outdoor fun.

Although Spring will not officially be over until near the end of June, the month of May always seems like the winding down of Spring and the beginning of Summer. Maybe it's because school ends and summer vacation begins. I look forward to many carefree days with long afternoons and relaxation. Happy May Day! And happy carefree days to you and yours in the days ahead!

Fleur-de-Lis

As April prepares to close down shop for the year, I wanted to share these photos of the beautiful iris that are in full bloom right now.

The iris is the official state flower of Tennessee and comes in a beautiful array of colors. I just love the beautiful purpley soft blue of these irises. They are also the inspiration for the  french fleur-de-lis.

 My friends Patty and Sarah also captured some very beautiful images of the iris this week. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Ironic

One of my favorite stores here in Knoxville is a place named ironically enough, "Ironic. "It is filled to the brim with unique iron works of furniture, decor, and more! If you are ever a visitor to The Avery House in person you will find that we have many pieces from Ironic in our collection.
The great thing I think about the pieces from Ironic is that they compliment your existing decor, they never compete, and the pieces are timeless.

My girls and I truly love visiting Ironic on a regular basis and enjoy chatting with the shop's owner Holly. We also love seeing Sully, Ironic's number 1 bull dog proprietor. Isn't he just the cutest!

f 1.8, 1/25, ISO 200, 35mm

The above shot is being shared with Patty for Photo a la {M}ode. If you have a shot you'd like to share (Vaiden and your sun burst) hop on over to Finding Serendipity and link up! Whatcha waiting for? Until tomorrow!

Easter

 We have had a very blessed Easter celebrating the Resurrection of our Saviour Jesus with a very beautiful church service and then an Easter brunch with friends in our home.

We wish everyone a very happy Easter filled with many blessings. Back soon with lots to show and tell about our Easter holiday.

Last Stop: The Flying Biscuit and Trader Joe's

It's Thursday, but boy am I still thinking about those grits and biscuits at Atlanta's The Flying Biscuit.       Howie suggested we all go to the Midtown Flying Biscuit, but after arriving and finding we would have to wait over an hour to be seated, we decided to make our way over to The Flying Biscuit in Buckhead where the wait was only 20 minutes, definitely much more doable with four hungry children and four hungry adults!

We took a few photos while we we waited, of course!

It was finally our turn and we were seated.

I ordered the French Toast only because Howie promised to give me his biscuit and grits.

These grits and biscuits were the BEST I ever put in my mouth, really! I mean the grits were so creamy, I was in heaven.

And that biscuit with raspberry preserves, YUMMO! I realized real fast that I had been longing for a place like this to eat. There's just nothing like it in Knoxville. Seriously, I am considering opening a Flying Biscuit in Knoxville because it would make me an instant millionaire.

After breakfast, we headed over to Trader Joe's. Yes, it's a grocery store, but not just any old grocery store. This is the home of "Two Buck Chuck" which I woefully couldn't buy because it was Sunday.

I did happen to buy some wonderful coffee and blackberry and strawberry preserves as well as some banana bread mix and Easter candy.

I thank Miss Paige for turning me on to Trader Joe's. It was well worth the visit! After getting my little food stash, we were all headed back to Knoxville. We're looking forward to another visit to Atlanta in the near future. Maybe next time I will get to me my blogger buddy Paige in person.