to be little again + a slice of fall and a day in pictures

day eight... starting late

i always have the intention each november to do a "thirty days of thankfulness" {or "gratitude"} series. of course, i have so much to be thankful for all year 'round. but it seems like the pace of november lends itself to posting each day about those things. here it is the eighth of november, though... i was on a blog break when november rolled around.

as i think back over the last year, i know there were many times {not just in november} that i wrote about all that i have to be thankful for. so i won't get down on myself too much for forgetting to do this series once again. instead, i'll just give myself this goal... to write down {or blog about} all things i can think of to be thankful for as they come to me throughout this month.

i've heard a lot of complaining lately... it's everywhere you go, it seems. and i am sure i have had my share of it. but i often stop in my tracks and realize that i have it pretty good when i look at some of the stories of people who truly have something to complain about. these people {i.e., those who lost their homes to a tsunami or tornado or fire, or those who never knew their parents because they were gunned down by a corrupt government, or those who were born with terminal or debilitating illnesses, etc...} must look at people like me who have it good and shake their heads when they see us complain about certain things.

i don't think it's possible to find a single person who can say they never have complaints. but there are certainly those who limit their complaints to a few. i want to be one of those people. i want to be so busy celebrating the good things i have that i don't have time to complain about the bad things.

one of my favorite quotes is by a man {i don't recall his name, but he was interviewed on television quite a bit a few years back} who was told he has a.l.s. and was dying. in his interview about his illness and the ever-growing limitations that it placed on him, he said "you can either celebrate what you can do, or you can mourn what you can't."

that struck me so much... made me want to celebrate all that i have, am, can have, can be, can do. it's the reason i wrote this post back in may of 2009 {shortly after the last day of my job that i was laid off from}.

i don't want to be a complainer! i have heard a whole lot of complaining in the past year... from several people. and what's worse, i think complaining is contagious. but what is even more contagious is gratitude and celebration {although, i think some people who are ridden with complaint can't catch the gratitude bug until they seek healing from the complaining disease they have.} even if you can't "infect" others with your thankful and celebratory attitude, you can further infect yourself... the more you think about and verbalize all that you have to be thankful for, the more thankful you are... the less you complain about the yuck stuff.

trust me... i have a whole lot to feel down about... to vent about... to complain about. there are many things i am facing or going through that could cause me to lose heart and be downright mad or lose faith. but i sooooo badly don't want to live there. when i see myself getting close, i have to remind myself where it is i want to live... in joy, gratitude, awe, amazement, faith, happiness, lightheartedness, hope, enthusiasm, positive thinking... not head-in-the-clouds. just making the best of things, even in the midst of trouble or heartache or pain or weariness.

that's why i chose this photo {besides the fact that it is raining on this chilly fall day}. it's sort of dark {like today} and it's clearly wet and cold {like today}, but there is still beauty in it... the beautiful colors of wonderfully symmetric leaves. even in the darkest of days, there is something to be thankful for. i won't ignore the bad things in life. they need to be dealt with, for sure. but i am making an effort... this month {and always}... to keep from complaining about them and express gratitude in place of the complaints.

in fact, i was just thinking about something this morning... how it was so good of God to give me a son... i guess i could stop right there... i am grateful to have him, period... end of sentence. but what is additional cause for celebration is that he gave me a son who is so well-mannered and easy to deal with! i feel very blessed about that. and this morning, i thought about how thankful i am for that, because there are so many other things right now that are huge disappointments in my life. i feel that i am blessed to have that extra-special gift... one less thing to worry about or wear on me as i go through these other difficult things.

i can't imagine having a fussy, hard to deal with child while i get through these other things. it's a joy to have him, but a bonus to have him not being difficult in these months... he really is an angel. i would not know how good i have it when it comes to him unless i had heard and read what it is like for moms with some babies. i would just think that isaac is the norm. but the older he gets, the more i realize how blessed i am to have a very happy and easy-to-raise baby. and that is my bright spot {my colorful leaf} in the midst of the rain.

just last night, mr. b, isaac and i had {what i felt was} the best night yet since isaac was born. the chicago bears played for monday night football, and we all sat together in the man cave on an old beat-up {but comfortable} couch with lots of pillows and cushions and blankets and watched the game together. isaac was in the best mood. he giggled a lot. he climbed around on us. he watched the game. he fell asleep contentedly in my arms. he watched us and observed his surroundings with wonder. it was just such a magical night... the most fun i have had yet as a family.

and as he gets older and has to "conquer" new things, i see how well he handles everything. the very first time we fed him solids, he handled it like a pro!... it took no getting used to. {that's just one example}. he's a good sleeper. he's a fast learner. and everywhere i go, people comment about how good his disposition is {from day one} and how happy he seems. again... i would have thought that is how every baby is. but as i read or hear from other moms, it's not always the case. so i feel tremendous gratitude for that. and even if every baby was like he is, i am still grateful!

i guess i could go on and on about the things i am grateful for when it comes to isaac. but this post is already so lengthy. and i have about 22 more days to express my gratitude, so i'll save some for later.

verbalizing my gratitude is a great excuse to get back on my blog and write! so i plan to do just that {when i have the time} this month. it's the best antidote for the blues or the temptation to complain. don't you think?

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.}

{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?

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.

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.