these days... and why we can't have nice mustard

{shortly before i published this post, i accidentally published an unfinished draft of a different post i started yesterday... if you read it and commented, i apologize for deleting it... i still have to finish. oops!}

i really wanted to title my post two ways today, but i couldn't choose which i would rather use, so i put 'em both in! you see, i'm starting a new series called "these days"... just posts where i put up some of my most recent photos. {most of the photos i take never do make it onto my blog... i would have to post twice a day, every day in order to make that happen!} this series will also give a brief-ish recap of our days as of late... sort of a catch-up post for when i have not had a chance to get on here for a while... like this past week. {i really do hope to be brief with these, as i also want to learn to let my photos tell a story and learn to let my words be fewer. but my goal is to sort of journal the days so as to preserve the memories, big and small... so i can't be overly-brief either.}

i wanted to use the second title as well. {you'll see why as you scroll down.} so my first "these days" post will have to play nice and share its title.

these days...

we are enjoying warm temps {almost 60° at one point this week} and giant snowflakes after the rain turned to snow. {it's crazy that it is already march, and winter is just now making a significant appearance... more like middle-aged winter, than old man.}

isaac and i sat in the window today just to stare out at those incredible giant snowflakes. {i've always wondered about that expression... can one actually sit in a window?} it was a precious time. he was so mesmerized by the flakes as they effortlessly sailed and circled around and downward. he has been making it a daily habit to look out the window lately, but this was the first time it was snowing significantly enough for him to notice. it was a memory made that i'll not soon forget. the look on his face... of wonder and curiosity... as he sat in my lap in the warmth of our home... just magical. i look forward to next winter when he can sit with me and sip some hot chocolate while we do it all again.

{i noticed i have to really emphasize the sn in snow, or else he thinks i'm saying "no" when he is standing at the window looking out {i can tell, because he gives me that look of "uh-oh... mom disapproves of this." and i definitely don't want him to get the idea that one of his favorite things to do is a big no-no.}

he's not walking yet, but he is soooo close! i've noticed the past few days that he can squat down to the ground without gripping onto something so as not to fall or so as to brace himself if he does. instead, now he uses the furniture {or my leg} to balance, but it's all in his legs... feet firmly planted, knees bending, slow careful descent into a squatting or sitting position. i continue to be impressed with his hand/eye coordination. it may be the norm, but it's incredible to watch it develop in a little one, none-the-less.

okay, here comes the mustard part... you know the famous saying that all parents inevitably say to their kids?..."this is why we can't have nice things!"? well, we've been exclaiming it to isaac for months, even though we know full well that he has no idea what we are saying. it started back when he began to drool all over everything and decided that he would chew on anything in his path {sometimes i think we have a puppy instead of a human}.

after a while, we just started having fun with it... if he was crying while we were trying to eat dinner, it was "this is why we can't have nice dinners, isaac." if he was chewing on the t.v. remote, "this is why we can't have nice clickers, mister!"... "this is why we can't have nice magazines."... "this is why we can't have nice suitcases." {he loves to chew on my vintage luggage.} "this is why we can't have nice cameras!"... "...throw pillows"...

anyway, you get the picture. well, this guy is into everything these days... i mean everything. {he has figured out how to open doors and drawers within his reach.} it's nothing new for babies. but it's new for us. so i marvel at how many times i have to put things back the way he found them. and i often wonder why i even bother, because within hours, that same mess made unmessy by me will become messy again.

in every corner and crevasse i see, i find his toys and our things {his other toys}... everywhere! everything! i can hardly walk in what was once my nice.new.clean.organized office, because he has unearthed every thing within his reach! so i've come to embrace a tidbit of mama wisdom... don't pick up after him so often. rather than once a day, try once a week... less insanity! just let it go...

today, he was in the fridge. of course, he didn't get into it on his own. but because he sprints over to me whenever i open it, and i can see that he is just so curious about what is inside this big box that's lit up on the inside whenever i reach into its deep spaces, i thought i would let him have some fun with it. and fun, he had!... supervised, of course.

it was a joy to watch him. he got so excited, and i think he found it to be every bit as delightful as he imagined it would be. i had to grab my camera... only steps away. in that short time that i stepped away, he did some grabbing of his own... namely, the mustard from the door. and like everything else, it joined him on the floor. so of course, i had to say it...

i'm having so much fun watching him lately {even when he's making messes}. i have to be honest... i remember getting bored with others' kids in the past. i have always loved kids, but when they are not your own, you can get a little bit tired of them after a while. it's amazing though... when the child is your own, you could watch him all day long and never lose that utter delight and interest in his every move, expression and sound. one of my friends said it best... "kids are like farts {sorry!}... they're easy to be around if they are your own, but when they are someone else's, you just have to get away at some point." hahaha! so true! {although, i wouldn't say it's easy to be around my own gas! but it's tolerated... i have no choice, right?}

well, sorry for the potty humor... but you'll have to get used to it, 'cause i have a boy, and that will soon just be a part of everyday life around here! *wink*

let's see, what else? oh, i'm exercising again! it's not easy, because i've been so sedentary for so long. i'm too old for this stuff!... but all the more reason i have to get back into it. i'm looking forward to spring when i can go running... hopefully with baby in tow. i'll have to search craigslist for one of those good jogging strollers. until then, i do what i can indoors and try to eat healthier... lots of fresh, raw fruits and veggies... like the "so delicious!" cantaloupe that isaac and i just shared. {i've never given this kid something that he did not devour. i'm so glad he's a good eater! i've heard from parents who can't get their baby/toddler to eat anything.}

of course, i would have rather sat and watched snow with a nice mug of high-calorie hot chocolate loaded with whipped cream, as opposed to exercising and eating fresh fruit. but i'm grateful for all that i have and all that i have to do. in light of the recent tornados and devastation that has hit my state and many others around it, i have absolutely nothing to complain about.

well, there's my recap of what's been going on these days. of course, there is so much more. but the things i most wanted to capture were those that found their way into this slice-of-my-life post.

i'm in the process of giving my blog a makeover... perhaps you noticed the new banner and layout? i'm not quite done, but i'm close. i really wanted to simplify it... to make it more minimal... more visually quiet. hopefully i've achieved that.

this last banner {above} was very minimal... but maybe a bit too much, sans photos. so i've added some back in {since it is a photography blog, after all} with a bit of a design element, too.

i also plan to change my approach to blogging in the near future. so this will be a big overhaul from the inside out.

well, so much for being brief today. i'll be finishing the blog revamp over the weekend, as well as posting a couple more times. but i suspect i will be back into the thick of my temp job again next week, and will thus be blogging less again. i wish i had time to do it all.

but i don't.

so i write when i can... these days.

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.

see things madeover

{just a random photo that has nothing to do with my post directly}

so i'm thinking of doing a small {or possibly big} makeover on the look of my blog {and perhaps even makeover how or what i post, but that will come later... after i put some thought into it}.

anyway, i thought about getting rid of all the gallery buttons to the right in my side bar. one reason for that is because i feel like maybe they make the blog feel too cluttered {what do you think?}. another reason is that i don't know that i want anyone going back to old posts. i don't mind so much for posts i like... or any that my readers like{d}. but there are some posts in the archives that i would rather not see again... they were either too personal, or too boring, or too silly... or even just really poorly written {not to say my writing now is phenomenal}.

the galleries are related to the visual parts {photos} of the posts, and not meant to reference any writing... at least for most of them. but i don't know if anyone even looks at each of those sets of posts via the buttons {which are really just links to sets of posts with a particular label}. maybe new readers do look from time to time. i don't know...

anyway, the final reason i think i want to make over this space and get rid of some things {visually} is to put a tangible face onto a new theme of life i want to embrace... a theme of "letting go". in just over a week, i'll be writing a lot about letting go {on the five-year anniversary of my father's passing}. but my father's presence is not the only thing i am learning to let go of... it's a very prevalent theme in my life right now in several areas... relationships, material things, security, patterns, ideas and beliefs, control, the past, physical traits, abilities... i could go on and on.

well, all that to say, i need your input. what do you think? should i clean up the side bar? i tend to over-do things... i've always wanted to master the art of "less is more", but never seem to be able to. but i'm thinking of forcing myself to do so on this blog. and then i would hope that it would trickle into all other areas of my cyber world... flickr {which is a mess right now}, facebook, etc.

anyway, please, won't you let me know your thoughts? should i "icksnay" {did i spell that right?} the buttons and all that "stuff" in my side bar?

when you first visited here, did you even look at any of the galleries? also, are you more likely to keep on surfin' if you see a really long post on my blog? or do you read it? i tend to be way too wordy, and have a difficult time keeping my posts short. so that might be something i overhaul, as well. {though, i don't think i could ever be a photos-only blogger... i just can't do it!}

okay... thoughts and ideas are appreciated. THANKS!

{p.s. my last banner was short-lived...

but i wanted a simpler one. so for my new banner, i chose the bird mobile photo from a recent post to represent my family of three... which is really the crux of my world and life... where most of my photos and words stem from. you will also notice, i changed the subtitle. it was sort of corny the way it was before. i like this better.}

we have a winner!

so it's time to say goodbye to my most recent blog banner {above}

and hello to a new, fresh, springier banner/photo

that represents change and new birth!...

after all, baby-b will be here in two and a half months... at the most.

so, thanks to all of you who voted and helped me decide,

the winner of the spring 2011 blog banner choice

for this photography blog is #2!

...with a pretty overwhelming number of votes

compared to what #1 got.

as i commented on my own post {the one where i asked you to vote},

i was leaning toward #2 if i had to choose on my own.

but i wanted to see what the consensus was out there, too.

i think the comment that clinched it for me

was from tidbits and treasures, who said this...

"i like #2—i think because of the extra depth

the out-of-focus background flowers give the composition"

i agreed!

so, #2 it is!

i really like the yellow flower image, too.

but i like it by itself more than as a photo for my blog banner with text.

thanks to all who voted!

and to kamana's point/comment...
{"2 for me. but i like your current one better!"}...

thank you for saying that.
i really love the "current" {now previous} banner, too.

and it was difficult for me to change it...

for a couple reasons...

one, because it represented this pregnancy,

which i still have ten weeks to go on.

but also, because it was one of the most meaningful banners i have ever had.

but i still just felt the need for a change.

plus, my belly looks absolutely NOTHING like that eight-weeks pregnant self-portrait belly did.

anyway, thanks again, for all the comments and nice things said...

about both photos/banners.

and just so the yellow flower does not feel left out...

i thought i would reuse/repost it

in conjunction with spring colors week 2011

{which, as usual, i am late to the game on}.

i found out about it from merideth on shutter sisters.

she posted her green monday shot last tuesday

and prompted us to post a yellow tuesday shot that day.

i did not get around to it or any of the other colors until thursday,

but better late than never, right?

so, out of order, here are my spring color week shots...

yellow tuesday

{and this time, the yellow won, as it is my favorite of the five color photos for the week.}

green monday

pink wednesday

lavender thursday

white friday

happy {white} friday!

happy spring colors week!

please vote...

i was going to keep my current banner for the remainder of my pregnancy... just because it has so much meaning {with the necklace} for this pregnancy.

but with spring here and changes happening all around me, i was in the mood for a springy update and a change of banner on it's just how i see things. {i've been working on the design of a bloggy friend's photography web site banner, so it's got me itchin' for a change myself.}

i need your help to decide between these two, though. after i posted the purple flower shot yesterday, i liked it enough to want to use it for my new banner. but i also really love the shot of the yellow flower. and i honestly could not decide. so i'm gonna let my readers/viewers vote... the one that gets the most votes will be the banner i use! {i still have to tweak the text a little... but these are basically it.}

so, what'll it be?... #1 or #2?

new season, new banner

well, it's officially winter. i was so glad when the 21st of december came, for it meant that from that day on, the days would once again get longer. my dad always looked forward to winter solstice, because it meant long winter nights would start to fade and make way for more sun in a day, and with it, more and more warmth. i'm the same way. you all know me by now. i hate winter {hate is a strong word, but you get the idea} and i LOVE the sun and being warm.

anyway, winter is officially here, and with the new season, i am posting a new blog banner. this will be the first blog banner using a photo that i did not technically take. that is to say, i did not push the button on the camera or hold it and set it up. but i did direct how i wanted the photo to be taken, and then when i got the photo, i manipulated/enhanced it. so i will still take some credit and still call it a self-portrait in that sense. {thank you to my friend mary for taking it... i could not have done it myself, as i only have one of those little, short tripods that you can wrap around tree branches and such... not a normal-sized tripod.}

the only other selfie image i used for a blog banner was last march {seen below}... incidentally, also taken in front of the same orange chair in which i am sitting in the current banner, but this time taken by me {with a timer, i think}.

if i recall correctly, i set the camera on the window sill to get the shot. it works when no one is around... have you ever tried?

well, enough about how i got the photos. fact is, i have posted so infrequently here lately, i have almost as many blog banner updates as i do posts for these past five or six months. {that's only a slight exaggeration.}

okay... so goodbye, last two banners {one of which i never bid farewell to}.

{fall, 2010}

{summer, 2010}

make room for a new vision of "how i see things"... baby bump style. that is how i will be viewing everything in life from now on... well, at least for the next six months... through the eyes of pregnancy.

some of you may wonder why i would write a post bidding farewell to old blog banners. well, it is for one simple reason. it's just my silly way of keeping a record of all the blog banners i have made since the time i started this blog. not only do i like photography, but i love graphic design {it was my college major}, and i like to see how my banner design and photography has progressed over the years. so i started posting about them and tagging them "my blog banners", which i also have a gallery link/button for in the right-hand column of this blog. this way, you can see them {all in one place}, too.

a while back, i had written about how i wanted to start offering a service where i would design blog banners for anyone who wanted me too. i never got around to setting up a tab on my blog to advertise that service. maybe i will get around to that in 2011. but even though i don't advertise it, it is still available. i really enjoy making them, and i have made a few for friends already.

okay, enough about blog banners! it's almost christmas, for crying out loud. yikes! just over a day away. are you all running around getting last minute gifts and making holiday fixin's? i've got much to do, myself. so i'll be back to say hello on christmas day, and then maybe soon after to write about my holiday adventures.

just a quick thank you for all the cool comments on my last post. i'm so glad you took the time to read and leave your thoughts and let me know i am in your thoughts and prayers. it really means a lot! i enjoyed sharing with you all, and i really enjoyed hearing back from you. i especially loved the idea from a couple of you to make that post my first entry for a journal i keep for the baby. i think i will do that!... whether i print it out and start an actual book, or just make an online sort of journal for baby-b.

thank you to everyone!

see things... like treasures abounding

hey, you!
don't forget to

so, you may have noticed... i changed my blog banner again. i wanted to do something a little more designerly, playing with type and photography and my love for both. i simply took a few photos -- two from my recent trip to florida, and one from my '09 trip -- and pasted them into the words "see things".

my blog name is still "it's just how i see things". but this time, i really wanted the words "see things" to stand out -- almost on its own -- sort of as an admonishment or encouragement or prompt to others and myself. SEE THINGS! do it!

sometimes i forget to. i get caught up in the "to do's" or worries of life. trust me... this whole time i have not been blogging, i've still been seeing things, and i don't mean in the "imaginary people-sized talking rabbits named harvey" sense of seeing things. i just mean, i'm still always looking around, looking at the details, looking for beauty or the interesting everywhere i go... whether i'm holding a camera or not. in fact, i'm constantly taking pictures with my mind, even if i don't take them with my camera.

anyway, goodbye old banner {above } -- so different from this new one, but i'm ready for a big change -- and hello new banner! welcome to summer and color and new life here on this blog.

• • •

and speaking of seeing things, i was reminded by today's shutter sisters post about one of the reasons i am a photographer... i love to seek, see and capture life's little treasures. go read the post when you can if you have not already. it's a really good one!

and here is a little glimpse of something i treasure immensely in my life...

i actually took this photo a while ago, but had not necessarily planned on putting it on flickr or my blog, i just wanted a record of the little glass ornament that my husband and i always hide from each other for fun.

i don't know how or why it started, but one day, one of us decided to hide it for the other to find just to be cute... to give a little unexpected surprise when the cupboard was opened. then the finder reciprocated. then it became a game and a challenge to find creative, hard-to-find places to hide it. back and forth... when one of us found it, it was our turn to hide it for the other. sometimes it would be months before one of us found the other's hiding place. but what delight it is every time i discover his most recent hiding place. i'm like a kid again.

and when it's missing, i'm constantly asking him, "where's the ducky?" in my little kid voice. i've put it in his suitcase or overnight bag when he goes out of town. he has hidden it in my stack of bills, knowing it will be quite a long time before i find it there {wink }. those are just a couple of many, many examples.

we just have a lot of fun with it. it's been going on for about three years. maybe just our little way of adding whimsy to our lives until we are blessed with the children we desire to have... practicing for when we do get to have them.

the whimsy and joy this little game brings is itself a treasure, which makes the little glass duck something i'll always treasure. but it's also the added meaning that has come about that i treasure the most. you see... some days, i find this little duck when i absolutely needed it the most. on difficult days. on days filled with worry or anxiety about the hardships life sometimes brings. on days where i'm not feeling adequate. and every time, that little duck is a reminder of how good life is, how blessed i am to have a playful and caring husband.

and like today's shutter sisters post mentioned, it's often the little things that can be treasures... it even mentioned "the note your husband left on the dining room table for you before he left for work". in my case, it's the desk where the computer is that my hubby leaves me notes. the most recent one... the one i am looking at while i type {as it's perched in my little vintage flower frog holder that holds keepsakes }. it says,

"morning monkey. have a good day. remember to get out! don't worry so much about money, neighbors, etc. we're on our way! love you. ~me"

oh, how i treasure that note and others like it... the little things. him... the big things.

a few bible verses that i grew up hearing or seeing quite often are matthew 6:19-21, which says,

"do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." {ESV }

about the things i want to treasure in my life while i walk upon this earth... i want them to be small {or great }, immaterial, meaningful things. not the things you can't take with you anyway. but the small gifts that serve as reminders of the good things God wants to bless me with. so when i speak of treasures, don't get me wrong. i don't mean earthly treasures {though i often find myself wanting those things, too }. does that make sense? i hope so.

well, regardless, i hope you are finding treasures all around you today. if you're looking, you'll find they're EVERYWHERE!

• • •

{thanks to all who have stopped by and said hello. in my mind, i'm still not back to blogging regularly. it probably seems like i am, because i've posted three days in a row. but i still have much to take care of in the coming days... but i just could not resist writing about this little duck, as i have been wanting to for quite a while. hoping you are all well and enjoying your summer... or whatever season it is where you are. big hugs!}

year-old photo, day-old poem, brand-spankin'-new banner

i took this photo a year ago.
i only rediscovered it because i came across it
while searching for my florida beach pics
{that i posted a few days ago }.
my little two-line poem was written yesterday, though.

i also did some playing with the photo...


making this "polaroid"
{which i like very much... i think it's my fave },



and this black and white with texture and tone.

which one is your fave?
is this not a very lovely tree?
too bad they don't stay this way year-round.
would you believe this tree is on a busy street
right in the heart of chicago?

~ ~ ~

oh, and tell me what you think of the new banner.
i liked the idea of changing from something flowery and foo-foo,
to something less organic and more artsy-fartsy.
{wow, that is some sophisticated vocabulary
i'm using today, no? *wink*}
so goodbye, old banner... i enjoyed your stay very much.



hello, cafe that i frequent almost daily.

and speaking of that cafe,
i'm off to get my daily green tea latte
so that i might wake up and accomplish
the many things i need to do on this fine saturday.

anything exciting planned for the weekend for you?
i hope you all have a lovely weekend.

~ ~ ~

{oh, i almost forgot... i'm happy to report that there has been a slight improvement in my friend's sister. she is still on life support, but it sounds as if the doctors have her a little more stabilized. although it is still a very serious situation, even the slightest improvement is wonderful news. continually praying...}

a lighter-longer day

when i awoke today, i left my eyelids in their slumbering position. the daylight broke through the blinds and told me it was late in the morning, but my body told me it was still early. since i could not get back to sleep, i decided i might as well open my eyes and look at the clock. it is no lie... when i saw the clock, it read 7:14 as it so often does upon first glance in the mornings before the alarm goes off.

on this day, you can not know how glad i was to remember that daylight savings occurred last night. why, it was not 7:14 at all! it was 8:14. we simply forgot to change our clock the night before.

it was 8:14! the day was new! the sun was out! although the weekend was half over, it was off to a great, productive, renewing start. i was ready to stand up and start my day. {but i must admit, i stayed there for a little while longer and enjoyed the comfort of my new cloud-of-a-pillow.}

i'm so ready for change. for renewal. for the newness of spring. for fresh starts. for letting go of the past hurts and grudges and regrets and negative influences.

and it always amazes me how much even the simple things in life can bring a sense of renewal and hope. just in one small saturday, so many simple things brought that sense to me... gifts of provision and mercy, if you ask me...

• a paycheck to deposit into my bank account.
• a new shower head that is at least twice as powerful as the old one and makes for the best showers.
• new pillows for the bed {with new pillow cases, because these pillows are longer and fluffier and would not fit in the old pillow cases }. what a wonderful night of sleep it was. freshly washed sheets helped, too.
• anticipation of spring.
• a day of cleaning and de-cluttering with b.
• time to catch up on laundry.
• thoughts of being able to tend to my herb garden again very soon.
• a pizza dinner topped with basil, tomato and mozzarella reminding me of the fresh caprese salads that i'm sure to make many of over the next several months.
• reading the psalms.
• prayer and trust.
  

sometimes it's the little things that renew our spirits. sometimes it's the little ways we let them. well, the sun is out in a sky of blue... something i've not seen in over a week. this, too is renewing my spirit. so will the walk i am about to take with b.

as you can see, i'm renewing my blog header too. goodbye purple scarf and favorite earrings. i'll bring you back again next fall.

thanks for those of you who gave your input on my last post and helped me choose a new banner. your thoughts and feedback actually changed my mind from no. 1 to no. 2. but then i tried it out and found it looked unbalanced with the layout of this blog. so i went back to no. 1. but b. said it was too cluttered. i was worried about that myself. so i went back to the drawing board. my new banner is none of the above... i mean, below. i took all your comments into account and came up with the one you now see. hope you like!

have a beautiful new day!

~~~

bless the Lord, o my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

~ psalm 103: 2-5 {esv }

this time, i'm getting you guys in on the action too.

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the first day of spring will not be here for another week. but my older sister's birthday is that day, and so i will probably be doing a birthday post for her on that day. although we may still get more snow before it's over with for the year, i'm ready to lose the purple scarf in my blog header and embrace spring!

{i think i will bring back the scarf again when fall comes back around, because this was one of my favorite banners... it had the feel i most wanted to achieve of all my banners so far.}

anyway, i've always picked a photo and started playing with a new banner until i got to something i like. but this time, i played around with four similar, but different layouts. i thought i'd be able to choose one and go with it... then just put it out there live and let you all be surprised with something new for spring. but since i can't decide, i thought i'd let you guys give me your two cents. your critique. your vote.

so which one will it be? one, two, three or four? i have to say, i'm leaning toward number one and would probably pick it {if you told me i had to pick one if i ever wanted to have chocolate ice cream again }. but i really don't know which to choose. goodness... it's a good thing i don't have so many choices all the time in life. indecisiveness will really stifle you. *giggle*

actually, i just want to hear what all your creative minds would say. and it's not that i will necessarily go with the one that has the most votes. but i will definitely take in your feedback.

when i used to work as a designer/production artist at a book publisher, i had the privilege of designing two book covers and three pamphlets. that design process worked similarly. we were to come up with three design comps for each cover and those would be presented to a group of decision-makers who would pick the best concept. then, we would have to take the one they chose and keep tweaking/perfecting it until it was final.

so you guys are my panel this time. this is the part where you tell me your vote and critique. YAY! {go ahead... i can take it. oh, and if you need to see any of them larger and one-per-page to help visualize, you can click on the photo.}

{hope you are enjoying this weekend! sounds like today has been warm and sunny in a lot of other places. we had chilly rain, but tomorrow's light will linger longer, and spring will follow suit. waiting for the kindness of light and warmth like never before...}

time for a small change

my last blog banner was one of my favorite yet...


but i needed a change, and i've never used a self-portrait as one of my banner photos, so i thought i would use my most recent. what do you think? should i have kept the window? or is this a change for the better?

i loved the mood of the last banner, but i wanted something a little brighter and more seasonal. and let's face it... i could use more bright around here lately. yay or nay?

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!

seasons, changes, and a new mini-endeavor

{sorry... this is another long post. there are several links in this post. they are the words that appear in gray.}

if you've been coming around here since i started this blog a year ago, you'll remember my first blog banner {below}.


i remember when i first set this blog up, i did not have a banner photo or anything fancy at the head. i only had the title {in one of the few fonts that blogger offers} across the top of my blog page. in just a short time, i realized that i needed to have something a little more interesting appear every time someone came to my space, especially since this is a photo blog. it's only fitting that my banner use one of my photos, right? so i created the above banner and never expected that i would change it.

i can still remember the first time i noticed another blogger change their blog banner photo. it was elk at red or gray depends on the day. i thought, "oh, what a great idea to change the banner photo every now and then." but it still took me a while before i thought of changing my own, because i felt like i should keep my original, as it is how my blog began to be known and recognized by my readers.

still, i was itching to change it, especially after taking a photo last winter of some birds that i loved and wanted to use. so then i thought, "i guess i could just change my banner art every time the season changes... to reflect the change in my surroundings, and to signify seasons of life." i thought it would be a perfect way to change it up and keep it fresh. so that is what i started to do.

because today is the first day of autumn, i'm changing mine again. from the one below {which was one of my favorites} to what you now see at the top of my page. i took the current banner photo last fall and wrote about it here.

i'm on my fifth banner design for this blog, and after five, i realized how much i enjoy doing this! SO much so, that i started thinking recently... "hey! i should offer this as a service... blog banner design."

not only have i done several on "it's just how i see things" and all of the banners on my other blogs here, here, here, here and here {the third one i collaborated with my friend chris on, the last two i collaborated with my sister on... she took the photos}, but i have also done some typography design/composition for three blogs of others' here, here and here.

not only did i design all of my banners on this blog, but i took the photos for them, as did i for my "...shhhh" blog. and since i love to use typography on my photo posts here and i love taking pictures, i realized that i would probably enjoy offering my services making banners for other people who need a blog banner or title treatment on their blog(s)—whether it be because of lack of time, or vision, or resources, or know-how.

like i said, i've done this already for friends {one of which i will be writing a little more about tomorrow or the next day} and always thoroughly enjoy it. and since i have been doing other freelance design lately anyway {like this birth announcement}, this will fit right in to my recent efforts. i'll probably call it "Jorjah-B banner design" or something like that. i'm not sure what i'll charge, but it won't be much, because it's not too time-consuming. i can even offer my own photography for blogs who may not have a photo to work with. {don't forget... there are a lot more blogs and bloggers out there than just our photography blogs and us photographers. *wink*}

so, long story short... i will continue to change up my banner here from time to time. {i've also added this new button in the side bar for these.}

and i will now embark on this little project of offering a bit of creativity to anyone who might seek it. i think it will be fun!

okay... whew! that was an "earful", hah? sorry. i get gabby sometimes. mostly i just want to say...

happy first day of fall! {well, tomorrow is the first full day, but it starts today.} it's my favorite season of all, and i'm glad it has arrived. i was hoping to do another one of my "goodbye, summer" posts like i did a year ago, but i did not get around to it. so this year, i only have time to say, hello, autumn!

{i'm hoping to get back to weekly synophotography posts starting next tuesday. it's been a while. now i just need to get my sister to play catch-up and join me.}

out with the old, in with the new

well, i haven't had this peony banner for summer very long. but then, it doesn't really feel like summer around here, either. we have had no hot weather yet. it's very strange. i'm a heat and sun girl, so i'm rather missing the typical july weather we usually have in chicago-land.

i may be wishing i could take this all back if we get some in-the-90s temps in august. but right now, i'm wishing we could make it into the upper 80s at least.

anyway, i'm switching banners, because i like the look of the new one better—it's more me. when i used these new photos in a post a couple days ago, i had not put them together with a new banner in mind. but i like this diptych so much, i decided to use it as my banner.

have a happy weekend, all!

bye bye birdies

dear blog banner photo,

i've decided to let another banner take the reigns for a while. don't take it personally. i have nothing against you. you are one of my favorite photos. you are a drive-by shot, and you know how much i love those! plus, you captured the birds, and you know how much i love those, too. but you were what i needed for spring. now summer is close at hand, and i would like to feature something a little more... well, summery.

i may bring you back in the spring of '10. i remember when i thought i would never change your predecessor. i did not tire of that photo either. i just wanted a change. and that's all this is, too. i still love you and hold you as one of my favorite shots yet. you will not be forgotten––i promise.

very sincerely,

"it's just how i see things"