makeover

well, as you might have noticed {since you're here and you're reading just below it}, i changed my blog banner again. most of the leaves outside are gone -- even the ones on the ground. so i thought i would change my banner photo to something a little less seasonal and a little more neutral.

so... goodbye to the "walking in my favorite skirt in my favorite season" shot, and hello to my sister's lovely window.


i think i took this shot when i was at her house last summer. {i have posted it before as a black and white photo.} but you can't really tell what season it is outside, so i thought it would work. i like the quiet, grey, almost melancholy mood to this shot. it goes well with november.

but it appeals to me even more because i am fascinated by photos of light through windows. there is a feeling they evoke that soothes me, and i want to be more intentional about taking shots like this whenever i see it. i want to get creative with it and stretch the limits of my typical picture-taking with this subject. there are so many kinds of windows and so many ways the light can come through them. so i want to start experimenting with it more.

and i plan to... that's why i am creating another "fascinated by..." button. i'm going to make this sort of a project for myself {i kind of need something like that}. and i'll post them here when i get some under my belt. speaking of my sidebar buttons, i made over my sidebar, too. i liked a lot of my old buttons, but i wanted to make everything look a little more uniform and give my blog some visual continuity. so i spent a good deal of time working on that last sunday. it was so much fun!

anywho {or as my friend heather likes to spell it, anyhoo}... how 'bout you? do you have a light- through- window photo that you love? leave me a link. i'd love to see it! i could use some inspiration!

november gratitude {part two}

the things i complain about.

like traffic, because it means i have a car.

like long lines at the grocery store, because it means i have enough money to buy groceries.

like the unusually high number of cloudy days we've had, because it makes the fall color look richer in photographs.

like having the slowest computer of all time, because it's teaching me patience.

like being too busy, because it means i have things to do.

all this to say, i'm not thankful that i complain. it's just silly and it's plain wrong. and i find myself doing it far too often these days. it's something i really want to work on. i was with a friend having coffee when a man was leaving the cafe and decided to stand in the doorway with the door wide open for some strange reason. {there was no one else around, so he was not holding it open for somone.} it was cold out, i had not had much sleep the night before, and that combination made for one cranky me and some mumbled words of dissatisfaction at his lack of consideration.

my friend called me out on my grumbling attitude, and i realized i am far too vocal when things bother me. but even worse, i let too many things bother me. i absolutely do not want to be that way. {that's the sign of a good friendship, by the way... when they can call you on something and you don't get offended.} it was a good wake-up call, and it came at a good time -- during this month of reflecting on what i have to grateful for.

that said, i feel like i'm coming down with something, but i think it's allergy related. everyone's been burning leaves the last few days, and whenever that starts, so do my overreacting sinuses. so i'm pretty sure it's just that, and not a real bug. i've got so much going on this month, and i'd really hate to get sick. but even if i do, you're gonna have to check in on me and make sure i'm not complaining about it. {wink}

i hope this tuesday finds you happy and healthy and grumble-free.

{photo caption: i took these two shots a few weeks ago at nature day 2009 -- an event started and run by the same friend who called me out on my murmuring ways. this is at one of the most beautiful nature preserves around.}

miraculous

call it modern medicine if you must.

i call it a miracle.
and i witnessed it today.


little baby j.
{the son of one of my dearest friends}
was born almost four months early.
that is amazing.
just absolutely amazing to me.


he is quite a trooper.
he is a miracle.
the hole in his heart has already closed,
meaning he won't have to have surgery on it.


he's eating more.
he's getting a little plumper every day.
he's kicking.
he's responding to twinkle twinkle little star
{even my shaky rendition of it}.
he's opening his eyes.
he's clutching his mother's hands.


he's loving the sound of his father singing.


he's making many nurses and visitors smile.
he's doing the very best he can
in the circumstances he is in.
and making his mama very proud.


he is making one memorable november
and thanksgiving season
for one relieved {yet still anxious} family.
he is blessing my heart today.
and tomorrow.
and probably as long as i will know him.


he is so loved and i am so touched
to have witnessed that love.


i got to spend the afternoon and evening there.
we laughed.
some tears welled up for me.
we talked for hours
{his mom and i, that is}.
we joked about how the little slippers
on the baby card i bought for them
are meant to be a novelty
and would obviously be too small for a baby
that was born at a typical full-term size,
but would actually fit
this little guy's feet perfectly.


we also got a kick out of how his little foot glowed
from the light on the monitor
that was strapped around it.


i was unprepared for how tiny he would be
and for how many tubes and wires
he would be hooked up to.
but he rested there comfortably
in his little protective neonatal crib
and never once complained.


i sat with my face close to the see-through acrylic
and watched
and marveled
and prayed.
and of course...
i took pictures.
{mom gave me permission to post them.}


it's times like this that i am so grateful
to have a camera and a love for photography.
but it's also times like these
that i wish i knew my camera well
and knew photography better
so that i could take better pictures
in the low light settings.


but i was still so pleased with how they came out.
especially the first photo in the bunch,
which is my absolute favorite.


c., p., and baby j.,
you are in the prayers
and uttered words of hope and faith
of many who love you.
you hang in there.


rest up.
come home as soon as possible,
but get all the help you need there.
{and, yes, i am truly thankful for modern medicine}


welcome to the world, little j.
you are as precious as can be,
and you truly are a miracle to me.

~your "auntie" georgie

kaleidoscope

someone's been playing again ...

someone named me.
{{wink}}

i made them with these...

i guess i wasn't quite done with fall yet.

haze

so dull and dark are the november days.

the lazy mist high up the evening curled,

and now the morn quite hides in smoke and haze;

the place we occupy seems all the world."

~john clare, november

my drive to work earlier this week was like a dream. i've never seen anything quite like it. the most beautiful haze was in the air, making for an incredible view as i drove into the sun. maybe the colors of fall are all gone, but if every morning in november looked like this, that would be alright with me!

i'm still smitten {don't think i'll ever stop being so} with power lines and such along the roads. i've posted so many photos of them on this blog, i decided to start labeling these posts "fascinated by power lines". there's just something about them that stimulates my senses like nothing else. call me crazy. you'd think it would be flowers or vintage bicycles or cute little puppies or something. but nope... it's power lines. don't know why. and don't care why, either. i just like 'em, and i'm glad to.

i didn't even have to do anything to these images to give them their effect. the mood was all in the sky and my camera just happened to capture it well, i thought {especially for being driv-by shots} -- exactly like i would have hoped it would capture it.

hoping your november is off to a dreamy start. have a lovely weekend.

madly falling {part five, part last}

still some "greenies" left in this shot.


then it boomed into the most
beautiful burst of yellows.

but as they always do,
all the leaves have fallen
and this tree is now bare.

well, the good news is, you won't have to see more autumn leaves photos around here any more. surely you are tired of them if i, myself, have begun to grow tired of them. but i enjoyed the run of color while it lasted. we had an especially vivid and beautiful fall this year. and in true "going out with a bang" fashion, the yellow maples in the empty lot next to my house held on to the very end. they are always among the last trees around to hang on to their glorious color.

we live in the second story of an older house, so the top half of this tree is what we see out our living room window -- not a street or anything else at street level. it's magnificent. for the past month, this is what greeted our eyes in the morning when the curtains were opened and what softened our evenings when the setting sun cast a glow through the leaves. so you can imagine why i am so sad to see them go.

now they blanket the walkway from our stairs in the back to the garage -- also quite lovely.

i told you... it's like a carpet of leaves back there. but not for long. the leaf removal crew will be hard at work this weekend. i'll miss the crunch and crackle of leaves beneath my feet.

it will be a long several months before new life starts to peek forth from the tips of branches that have recently become vacant. but when it does, my beautiful view returns again, only this time green and fresh and full of new life -- the year's first smile...

november, december, january, february, march, april... but who's counting? {sigh}


{if you're new to my blog and want to see "madly falling, parts 1-4", click on the madly falling tag/label at the end of this post.}

november gratitude {part one}

sweet ginny at sweet myrtle has once again invited her readers to participate with her in a theme for the month. it's a popular one, too! gratitude is the word for november's one word project on shutter sisters.

october was "things i am noticing..." month. this time, ginny and i {and anyone who wants to join her} are doing "things i am thankful for... november 2009". so i made a little button for my sidebar, and i included a button link to her thankful posts, too.

wow... the list for this could be endless. though i try to be thankful all year-round, i thought now would be a good time {with thanksgiving around the corner} to say what those things are out loud {or write them out loud}.

so i hope you enjoy reading and seeing the many things i am grateful for. and i hope you will also take time to reflect on all the things you have to give thanks for.

oh, i almost forgot to give my first gratitude list. today...

• i'm thankful that my husband and i have jobs, when just a short time ago we did not.
• i'm thankful that one of my best friends had a strong baby boy, despite the fact that she had to deliver him almost four months early, and that he is fighting like a champ in neonatal care. {he and his parents are still in need of your prayers.}
  
• lastly, i am thankful to live in a place where i am free to blog and write and express my thoughts and beliefs.

what are you thankful for today?

synonymous : labyrinthine

have you stopped to look at a leaf lately?

{see more detail by clicking on image}

such amazing detail in all those maze-like veins that carry life throughout. whether spring, summer or fall, we tend to look at the trees as a whole. but how often do we stop and appreciate just one leaf?

i haven't done a "macro monday" post in a while, so this will serve as yesterday's macro monday shot and this week's tuesday synophotography shot. i'm guessing my sister will have fun with this one.

{see her synophotograph here.}

{part four} madly falling {for bokeh}

there is a beautiful spot off the highway where i went to take many of my autumn photos this year. in fact, most of my "madly falling" posts have been of shots i took there. these first four are from there as well.

the next two were taken through my dining room window. i'm finding that bokeh in photos during the autumn months can be really nice. it's more colorful than usual. actually, i don't even know if all of these are true bokeh. but as far as i know, they are. so this time, "madly falling" was all about the glimmering, blurry balls of light i've been capturing lately.

speaking of bokeh, i said i would post the rest of my chandelier shots today. so here they are... some bokeh, some not, some just plain blurry...

...and i even made a new term...

this really was fun to photograph. it's even more lovely in person. i wish you could see it the way it really looks. i'll practice with different settings next time i visit.

hoping your week is off to a good start {and that you haven't gone and given yourself a tummy ache from too much halloween candy *wink, wink*}!

madly falling {part three}

who knew dried-up, brown leaves caught in a chain-link fence could look so beautiful? these little guys were stuck in the fence that is behind our garage. i had not planned on taking photos of them. i was back there to photograph the thousands of yellow leaves that had just fallen from the gorgeous maple tree above the night before. it was like a carpet of gold back there. but i found myself more captivated by these leaves, and my few minutes of free time before work were spent here instead of on the magical yellow carpet.

the sun is trying desparately to be out today... trying so hard that i have to give it credit for trying. the wind died down, the gray is gone and few leaves are left on the trees... as if to say "cold, colorless november is here".

no matter... i still have many more shots of the autumn colors that i can post to get me through this less-than-vibrant month {it is still fall, after all}. and the bleak outdoors just gives me an excuse to practice indoor photography -- something i want to get much better at. i took a bunch of inside shots last night at my brother-in-laws and had a lot of fun with it. here are my favorites.

while some good tunes were playing,

and a hearty autumn pot roast was stewing,

and the chef was preparing,

there was good wine being sipped
with bread and brie
to sustain us until dinner was done...

...all makings for a relaxing evening.

these were the best mashed potatoes
i've had in a long time!
{with fresh rosemarry... yum.}

isn't she cute?

i started photographing this fork
and was so enamored by how
the inability to focus in the low light
turned it into a bokehlicious work of art.

they have the prettiest chandelier
that hangs above their table.
it made for some fun photos,
{really cool bokeh, too}
more of which i will post tomorrow.

we had so much fun, as we always do.
oh, and i'm pretty sure...

{bro-in-law, sis-in-law and b.}

thanks for a fun evening, drew and jillian! a night of laughter, comfort food and scary movies is just what we needed. you guys are the best!

here's to a happy and healthy month of november! i plan to use it all as a time of expressing all the things i have to be thankful for -- why wait until the 26th, right?

it was a dark and stormy night...

i'm not really a halloween person, but i thought "what better time to post these eerie photos?" so i'm joining the festivities to say "have a safe and happy day of trick-or-treating". i used one of these for ethereal, too. but it was my sister's shot that really had me spooked. check it out.

since we have no kids, and we are a tad old to go trick-or-treating ourselves, we're heading down to the city on the train tonight to go see my husband's brother and his wife. i think we'll watch a scary movie or two, and just sit around and have all the fall fixin's. i can't think of a better way to spend it. {and i'm sure we'll see some frightening costumes on the train -- maybe i'll get a snapshot or two.}

it's not perfect... but

i've been thinking so much about contentment lately. if there is one thing in my life that i want to learn to perfection and have said of me, it's that i knew how to be content.

i've discovered through my time of unemployment {and my current situation of financial catch-up} that i need far less than i ever thought i did. i'm not talking about survival. i'm just talking about the things we have and keep and buy and borrow and try and store and consume. i had to let go of many of those frivolous things while money was tight, and now that i am making money again, i have no desire {or far less of one, anyway} to go acquire those same kinds of things.

i was joking with a friend last night on the phone about wanting to be wealthy and lead a life where money is no object. but then i remembered reading somewhere that the average american is more wealthy than 75 percent of the population, and i was reminded how good i have it.

another good friend of mine has really opened my eyes lately to a lot of silly thinking about how society or media or even peers make us think we should look a certain way or have certain things. not that having things that we can afford is wrong, but having them for the wrong reason is. it's made me look closer at why i feel i have to have some of the things i do.

there are a few things i really want because i really need them--like a new computer so that i can start doing freelance graphic design out of my home. but other than that, i've come to a really good place where i feel i don't need anything else. i like that.

and this could even be applied in non-materialistic areas. yes... i have desires, like wanting children. but even in these types of areas, i am learning to be content with where i am at. that makes me glad. i don't want to be an old woman when i've finally learned that. i want to master it now.

my standards have changed. they may change again. but right now, i'm realizing that my life may not be perfect. but i've got it pretty good, and it will do just fine.

with that, {sorry for getting all personal on you} i hope you have a wonderful weekend, and i hope you find peace and contentment somewhere in its hours and minutes, where you are at, with what you have right now.

things i am noticing...

...how well this shade of yellow
goes with this hue of red.

this was almost another installment of my "madly falling" series, but then i realized there are only a couple days left in october, so i better do at least one more "things i am noticing, october 2009" post before the month is over. {{thanks for letting me be a part, lovely ginny.}}

self-portrait photos of the feet looking down isn't exactly a ground-breaking idea. i've seen this type of photo done a thousand times before. {{okay, maybe not a thousand, but you get the point.}} still... i've never done one effectively up until now, and i just could not resist when i saw how my yellow shoes looked among all of the little red leaves that had fallen off the shrub next to our driveway as i walked to my car thursday morning.

reason #26 i was late to work yesterday. but worth it, i'd say.

you know what else i'd say? HAPPY FRIDAY! there... i just did say it!

madly falling {part two}

.i came across the most enchanting little place.

.a mini forest of firey trees.

.dark underneath.

.sprinkled with autumn's candy.

.blanketed in quiet.

.like a grove of glowing lolli-pops.
.from the outside.

.slow-paced and inviting.

.shaded by every charm.
.that hung on every branch.

.letting in just enough light.
.to appreciate the view.

.like the center of a secret garden.
.from the inside.

.i sat quietly and took it in.
.so as not to broadcast my presence.
.or disturb this perfectly peaceful palace.

.most of the leaves have fallen by now.
.i think i'll return again next year.
.and bring a blanket.
.or a friend.
.or maybe my sweetheart.

synonymous : pleased

she challenged me with contented. i went with pleased. both meaning "satisfied with things as they are" {as is b. when he's playing his guitar on a sunday morning}.

{i also took this fun shot, for which he hammed it up a little when he realized i was photographing him.}

{{he'll be mad that i added this part... but if you think of it, please be praying for him tomorrow. he could use your prayers for something he has to face.}}

madly falling {part one}

fall would not be fall without all things wonderfully orange. this tree was no exception. it was positively divine. and there were many more just like it surrounding the place where i stood to take these... like an enchanted forest. so much more falling madly in love with fall to come.

don't overlook parking lots

working close to fifty hours last week, there wasn't a lot of time to go to all the most picturesque places for photos {especially now that it's dark outside by the time i leave work}. sometimes you have to look for beauty in the least expected places. i found it in the parking lot at work and in a driveway to another business on my way home from work. i don't care where i find beauty... just as long as i keep seeing it.

happy monday.

sooc sunday

we had another gorgeous fall day here. i spent some of it by myself taking pictures. i spent some more of it with my friend mary taking more pictures. now i'm home and it's time to make dinner. hope you all had a great weekend!

{oh, and just so you know... fall is my favorite season, so there are going to be a lot of fall leaves pictures around here for a while. you might be a little sick of them by the time winter arrives. i'll try to throw in some other things now and again so you don't get autumned out.}

of course, of course

.i've been spotted.

.a trot over to welcome me.

.except for one.
.who cautiously watches from afar.

.a few caresses above the nose.
.and several snapshots later.
.they were on their way.

.thanks for visiting.

had to work today. glad to have the money. not so glad to lose the time off. 'twas all worth it, though... when i saw these horses on the drive home.

oh, and i had the pleasure of seeing this beautiful tree-lined drive, too.

yep... it was a good day. any day is a good day {to me} when you are lucky enough to have work, see sights like these, and have a camera to capture them.

life's short...

{after}

{before}

{after}

{before}

{after}

{before}

i've been trying to play more lately. that is to say, i've been experimenting with my photos, taking even dull or boring shots into photoshop and playing with them until they become interesting or artistic {in my eyes, anyway}. it's been a good stretch for me to see that i can take a not so great photo, but still spice it up a little with some patience and creativity and knowledge of photoshop.

and it's putting to use my love for taking photos of things for their texture or color or light--not just their subject. those are the kind of photos that are the most fun to play around with. i'm trying to think a little outside the box and merge my love for photography and design.

i could play all day. it's endless what you can do.

i took this plain photo {above}, and played around with some effects to achieve a circular, dreamy look for my looking glass post last weekend. i ended up using a different version, but the image below is one of the ones i came up with.

i also took this "just okay" photo {below}...

and started playing around with it until i got this...

then this...

and finally this {which is my favorite one}.

like i said, i could do this all day. actually, some days i do. :)