By: Amy Pantone August 5, 2019September 20, 2019 Client Sessions, Client Spotlightfamily photo session, Friendship Gardens, Plainfield, springLeave a Comment

A Special Family Session With a “Newborn”

During the late spring a family with a very special four month old wished to have family photos. You see Tyler was born 4 months early. He spent his first few months in the ICU at Riley Children’s Hospital. Fighting hard and with the help of his parents and excellent staff, Tyler finally came home…

By: Amy Pantone November 5, 2018September 18, 2019 Photo of the weekfall, foliage, forest, leaves, nature, simple livingLeave a Comment

A Lovely Walk in a Fall Forest

With my Nikon in tow, I took a stroll through our woods last Monday. I am glad I did. The fall foliage was at its best. This beautiful fall day was followed by several rainy days in a row. Leaving many of our trees with fewer leaves. Click on any image below to view a…

By: Amy Pantone September 17, 2018September 18, 2019 Photo of the weekanimals, barred owl, box turtle, critters, Josie the Boxer, juvenile squirrel, nature, simple living, skink, toadLeave a Comment

Critters From Our Woods

Since living at our place a little over 3.5 years, I have encountered a variety of critters. Unable to photograph many of them, here are a few I had the pleasure of capturing digitally. (I had to include one of Josie our Boxer.) In addition, I would like to dedicate this post to a special…

By: Amy Pantone August 20, 2018September 18, 2019 Photo of the weekbutterflies, nature, sanctuary, simple living2 Comments

A Butterfly Sanctuary of Our Own

A short walk from our cabin there is a place where butterflies flutter free. Here they thrive on wild growth. On any day one will encounter 20 or more. Flying above your head, dipping here and there, or resting on a tall pink flowering plant. Last year I do not recall as many. But this…

By: Amy Pantone June 4, 2018September 18, 2019 weekly photo challengeAll-time favorites, last one, new challenge, photo challenges, photos3 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge (The Last One): All-Time Favorites

When I pulled up the Weekly Photo Challenge I was shocked to see it would be the last one. I am sad to see this challenge go. It has been a big part of my blog over the last 3.5 years. At first, I was slightly irritated it was going away. How could Word Press…

By: Amy Pantone April 21, 2016September 20, 2019 Travel ThursdaysBadlands National Park, out west trip, travel, Travel Thursday5 Comments

Travel Thursdays – Badlands National Park

The geological landscape of the Badlands National Park is worth the stop if you find yourself traveling through South Dakota. For us, this would be our last stop during our six-week trip out west. As our trip neared the end we only had a couple of hours to tour this lovely park. The day was…

By: Amy Pantone February 19, 2015September 18, 2019 Travel Thursdaysbeach, Cairdean Estates, California, camping, coast, Glass Beach, harbor seals, Lake Cleone, MacKerricher State Park, ocean, travel, wine5 Comments

Travel Thursday – MacKerricher State Park

While traveling throughout the western United States this past summer, we had the opportunity to stay at a wonderful coastal state park. MacKerricher State Park is located a few miles north of Fort Bragg, California (roughly 3.5 hours north of San Francisco). Finding a campsite along the coast of California during the summer can be…

Family & Wedding Photography

Currently, I offer the following: Candid/lightly posed sessions Family sessions Maternity sessions Engagement sessions Wedding photography At a location of your choice. I serve central Indiana with ability to travel for your photography needs.

Writing

As an aspiring writer, I plan to offer freelance writing services in the future. Please check back for updates and information. You can visit my profile and stories on Medium. Medium.com/@fstopmama

Yoga

I am currently working on my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Certification. Check back for updates on my progress and opportunities for private yoga instruction.

I Won NaNoWriMo: 50K Words in 30 Days!

By: Amy Pantone November 29, 2019November 29, 2019

Words by Amy50K, NaNoWriMo 2019, winner, writingLeave a Comment

I did it! I set out with the goal of writing 50,000 words in 30 days and today I met that goal, one day ahead of schedule. What a fun ride. Now forgive me as I’m ready to take a break from writing. I will write all about my NaNoWriMo 2019 experience next week. For…

NaNoWriMo: 40K Mark

By: Amy Pantone November 25, 2019November 25, 2019

Words by Amy2019, 40K words, home stretch, NaNoWriMo, writingLeave a Comment

I hit 40,000 words tonight! With another shorter writing session planned this evening I’m working hard in the home stretch. With 5 days (6 if you count tonight) to go I can’t give up now. 50K here I come!

Latest Reads

By: Amy Pantone November 18, 2019November 14, 2019

booksAJ Pearce, books, Dear Mrs. Bird, fiction, Jennifer Pastiloff, Karen Joy Fowler, Kristin Hannah, On Being Human, The Creative Habit, The Great Alone, Twyla Tharp, We are all completely beside ourselvesLeave a Comment

“We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves” by Karen Joy Fowler (fiction, 308 pages) A great little gem of a book. This one was not on my list to read. While at the library looking for a couple of books, I stumbled upon this one. A heartbreaking tale of a unique family and the pain some…

NaNoWriMo Update!

By: Amy Pantone November 14, 2019

Words by Amy14 days, 25K, NaNoWriMo 2019, writing2 Comments

I just updated my word count for the 14th day in a row and reached the 25K word count. Feeling great about this year’s NaNoWriMo. My story is coming along great. I’m excited each day to see what will happen and I’m the author! With two weeks to go, I am feeling optimistic. But we…

Week 45 & 46: Musical & 7 Deadly Sins

By: Amy Pantone November 14, 2019

52-week photography challenge, Uncategorized7 deadly sins, cold, drumset, musical, photo challenges, snow, week 45, week 46Leave a Comment

From the 52-week photography challenge. Week 45: Musical Inspiration: Musical “Music is part of the soul, so let it inspire you this week.” This tiny drumset sits atop one of our shelves. I’m not the drummer in the family, that’s Shane. Actually, when it comes to musical talent, I’m best listening to it or singing…

NaNoWriMo: My 2nd Year!

By: Amy Pantone November 1, 2019November 1, 2019

Words by Amy2019, NaNoWriMo, participant, writing2 Comments

Banner courtsey of NaNoWriMo.org For the month of November I may be scarce here at the blog. For I’ll be working hard on reaching the target goal of 50,000 words in 30 days. Last year I participated for the first time. I was ill prepared, big time! I came up with an idea a couple…

Photography Challenge: Week 43 & 44

By: Amy Pantone October 30, 2019

52-week photography challengefall, film noir, Indianpolis, photo challenges, tree, viewpoint, week 43, week 44

Week 43: Story Telling: Film Noir “Film Noir is a dark and moody type of photography well suited to storytelling. So tell us a story using Film Noir.” This tree was actually a brillant orange color but after a little editing magic it has a dark moody feel to it. Week 44: Composition: Viewpoint “Changing…

Toni Morrison Quote

By: Amy Pantone October 18, 2019October 18, 2019

QuotesToni Morrison2 Comments

“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” – Toni Morrison

52-Week Photo Challenge: Weeks 41 & 42

By: Amy Pantone October 16, 2019October 16, 2019

52-week photography challengecolor theory, photo challenges, week 41, week 42, work1 Comment

Week 41 Composition: Color Theory “Color Theory is a huge part of composition that most photographers don’t explore. So it is time to explore it. Use Color Grading to create an image that looks like it is a still from a movie.” I was unsure of what to do for this challenge. After a little…

Week 40: Modern Convenience

By: Amy Pantone October 2, 2019

52-week photography challengecomputer, modern convenience, photo challenges, Think Pad, week 40Leave a Comment

Week 40 of the 52-week photogaphy challenge: Story Telling: Modern Convenience “What modern convenience of 2019 can you not live without? Create an image that looks like an advertisement for your favorite Modern Convenience.” I love my Think Pad. It is the modern convenience I cannot live without. Well that and the internet. I use both…