no matter how hard you try to hold on...

didjya catch that little play on words? {*wink*... i had to call attention to it, because i feel like the words in the photo almost get lost in the leaves.} this photo was taken a few weeks ago. now, things look much different around here. there are a lot more leaves gone from the trees. this is always a sad thing for me... autumn is my favorite season, and i very much hate to see it go.

i guess we have several official days of fall remaining. but for me, fall {or autumn} is in the pretty sights, warm feelings and scrumptious scents parts of the season... the "leaves are all still on the trees, but really bright and colorful" part... the "crisp, cool air and bluest sky" part... the "smells of wood burning in a fireplace" part... the "taste of pumpkin spiced lattes or caramel apple cider with whipped cream" part... the "favorite snuggly sweater" part. and though i might smell the fires and taste the spiced lattes for quite some time yet, the leaves won't be around for too much longer. and for that, i am sad.

i enjoyed the colorful leaves for a bit. but i found myself indoors with isaac for much of that stretch... trying to finish up a design project. trying to finally complete his nursery {yes... i was still working on that... transforming his closet into a little reading nook / library!}, trying to keep up with my home, trying to adjust to the constant changes of baby and motherhood.

in fact, many of the above reasons {especially the design project} are why i am suffering from a vicious cycle of insomnia... or rather, going to bed terribly late because i had a couple nights of incurable insomnia that set me off into an inevitable pattern of sleeping in on those mornings after my sleepless nights, which only made me not tired at my usual bed time the next night, which made me be up all night, which made me sleep late again... you get the picture.

{totally worth it, though, because that design project is going to help pay for my new camera lens, which will help me with my photography, which will help me get some photography gigs, which will help me make money... you see? not all chains of events associated with this design project are bad... *ehem* i.e. sleep deprivation-causing!}

it's past three in the morning right now, and i hoped that putting up a blog post would be my cure for insomnia... so i dug up a recent fall leaves photo i took of a street in the quaint downtown just blocks from where i live and played around with some processing. i like how the photo turned out! but i was still wide awake! then i thought, "surely, typing a post will make me sleepy."... nope! still wide awake! {oh, boy... if this keeps up, i might be back to blogging every day night! oh, please, no!... i would rather sleep each night, than blog... even with as much as i miss blogging!}

i guess i could look at the bright side of it... i have the time and quiet to focus on a blog post. it's nice to use this time when no creatures are stirring. the insomnia from a few nights ago afforded me time to keep working on my blog makeover. {i cleaned it up a little, if you hadn't noticed. i'm trying to go for a less cluttered look... i've a ways to go, yet, before it's done.} you may have noticed there is no photo in my header now. this is a first for me... words only... just a title... not even a subtitle anymore! i got rid of the last banner/header {below}.

i figured the minimal header would help give this space a simpler, cleaner look, which is what i wanted. it is what i have wanted for my blog for a while, but just never made a priority of it.

anyway, the design project is now done! and i'm happy to take a breather. not much is new to update... the biggest thing is that isaac ate his first solid food meal today!!! a little bit of rice cereal with some added liquid vitamins to supplement his normal nursing. it was so exciting, and he did REALLY well with it! {this is another reason i really miss blogging every day... i don't want to not record all these small {{or big}} milestones.} i'm sad to say, i did not get a photo of him eating his first solid meal. i'll try to get one tomorrow. i just can't believe how quickly my little man is becoming less and less little and more and more grown!

well, i think i might be rambling, now... a sure sign i am getting tired. i'm going to give sleeping a go, now. i've got a friend and her son visiting tomorrow. if i don't get some sleep now, i won't be in a very hospitable frame of mind.

so with that, i say good night morning and wish you a good day. i hope you are enjoying the last few pretty days of fall before they flutter away.