It doesn't get scarier than this. . .

Best wishes this Hallowtide, from Roan the little prince.  Alternatively, Saint Edward the Confessor for All Saints' Day.  #Catholicftw

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.

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"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015."

Roan:  are you the baby from the pumpkin patch?  ;)  Outside the Apple Market on a mellow, dusky evening.

Inside joke!

We spent the past week in Pensacola with Grandmama and Nana (my grandmother).

He is starting to get up on his hands and knees and rock, but only for a few seconds, and only (it appears) on the comfortable mattress!  He is also starting to show a bit of a temper, going rod-straight and flinging himself back.  I don't know if he only does it in the safety of my arms or if I'm just holding him all the time.

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"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015."

Mid-October Notes

We're halfway through the month already.  Looking back at my goals and commitments at the first of the month, I wish I could say I was wrong about faltering from my spiritual and fasting goals. Well.  October is my favorite month.  The seasonal foods and celebrations are a constant temptation for me.  Even though it's Ordinary Time, the secular world is gearing up for Hallowtide and harvest, and I'm a glutton for anything flavored with pumpkin.

These pictures were from the Scarecrow Festival and the Florida Pioneer Museum last weekend.  It was a last-minute drop-by, and we stayed for a very short while because I was sure my British baby was boiling away in the sun.  The heat was suppressing.  This weekend was less hot as we browsed the Rattlesnake Festival after Saturday morning confession.

We're returning to Wales in November, and now that I've finished my photographs for September's wedding, I feel a buzzing anxiety to get back to John and Afon, even though when I get there, there won't be much for me to do.  Afon is in school full-time now.  Roan still isn't crawling.  We don't know anyone, really, and extra-curricular activities and community ties are approximately zero.

We're still in the two-bedroom, second-story apartment without minimal household items--the majority of my things are still packed away, and I'm not sure when we will be able to ship them over.  But when I have them, I know I will finally be able to feel like I'm home.  It's not that things, per se, make me happy--but that my things, having something of my own, something to call mine, and a way to personalize my environment, mark my territory so to speak--is what I'm really looking forward to after nearly two years of feeling vagrant.

How is your month turning out?

Theme Thursday: Sun Flare

It's baaaaa-aaaack! This time at Micaela's, the theme for the week is sun flare, and I just happened to have this picture of my middle sister from our photo shoot earlier in the week.  I even did the hazy light flare on purpose!  #nofilter

But let's just say for argument's sake that I wanted a bigger, brighter, more obvious flare.  You can add it in post-production with fancy Photoshop brushes, overlays (I picked up some free ones from one of my affiliates at some point), and your fave-fave-favorite, PicMonkey!

Shiny! Chrome!

This used the lens flare effect at 50% size and about the same for fading.  Playing around with the effects can get you all kinds of awesome, but you can only get Lens Flare and several other rockin' tools with a membership.  You can always try it out first for free if your'e not sure it's worth it.  But if you edit photos as often and as passionately as you do, the flat rate yearly free is an absolute steal.  If I can afford it, anyone can!

P.S.  Signing up by clicking on the affiliate link above will earn me a modest share of their income.  So think of it as photo fun and blogging support.  ;)

Linking up with California to Korea for Theme Thursday.

October Wallpapers

What's up, guys?  So far, I've spent all of October gorging on pumpkin-flavored treats.  I'm such a cliche.  Let's just blame that on my complete and utter failure to fast.  Also, when I stress, I act out by eating poorly.  Editing wedding photos with a squirmy baby on your lap and then having your Apple adaptor stop working is frustrating but typical me.  I got them done, though!  I love them so much, I hope the bride does, as well!  I think she will.

So I went to the Apple store yesterday, and I think I might be allergic to hipsters.  I was feeling sort of anxious and uncomfortable most of the time I was there.  Afterward, I walked slowly through the mall and made a b-line toward any orange-and-black display that caught my eye.  I miss decorating for Halloween.  So I made these wallpapers to console myself.

I got most of these images free from the Creative Market.  It's a great resource to have on your radar.
  

Click on the images and save to your computer!

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"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015."

Roan:  two bottom teeth and two more on top on the way!  He's started dancing by rocking back and forth when he's sitting in the shopping cart or on the living room floor.  Here he enjoys being strolled around outdoors at the Scarecrow Festival.  All the beautiful faces to look at!

I miss my Afon-boy.  Soon, we'll all be together again!

Poe Halloween Printable

Halloween isn't just a kids' holiday.  Think about a grown-up party themed on Edgar Alan Poe, or even just "The Raven"--there's plenty of material there for a spooky, sophisticated gathering.  Using this print-out as your starting point, think of all the creepy creativity you could conjure!

I'm gonna be honest here, I'm jealous of you guys with a permanent residence that you can deck out in crystal balls, spider webs, and velvet pillows to get the gothic library effect.  So if it strikes your fancy, please use this and show me how you incorporate it into your Halloween decor!

Here's an alternative version:

And these would work great for invitations:

Pottery Barn's sold stuffed crows the past few seasons, but they're nothing special, and I bet you could find some just as good at a craft store or thrift shop.

(The printable will fit in a document frame; otherwise, use a paper cutter to trim the edges off to fit a picture frame.)

What kind of Halloween parties and decorations do you indulge this time of year?

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For further reading:

• Autumn in My Home--A Blog Hop on A Knotted Life
• Haunting Your Home on a Budget on Everything to Someone
• and another free Halloween printable in this week's Quick Takes

What I Wore: Transitioning Summer Pieces for Fall

dress // Peacock's

cardigan // Merona from Target

tights // Assets

shoes // Dr. Scholls from Walmart

What's the easy way to take a summer dress into autumn?  Add a warm cardigan and some opaque tights, of course!

I adore layers, which is one of the several reasons I need to live in a cool climate.  What are some of your favorite summer-to-autumn combinations?

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"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015."

Roan:  he is steady enough sitting on his own now.  And he is SO long.  My arms can hardly contain him when I cradle him to nurse.  He is only two pounds lighter than his (admittedly petite) two-year-old cousin.

I'm at a creative crossroads with my photography.  I need to really settle down with one style, and the two contesters are moody, grainy film vs. light, airy, over-exposed.

Liturgical Lifestyle | Feast of the Guardian Angels

I wish I could say I think about my angel a lot more than I do.  Maybe it's serendipitous that I found this novena to the angels at the gift shop when we stopped at Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament on our drive to Nashville.  It's pretty cool, when you think about it, that there is a spiritual being devoted solely to your salvation and well-being, from the moment you existed, and that that angel has been waiting for you for all of creation.  Sheds a new, luminous perspective on the term BFF, doesn't it?

Happy feast day, angels.  Thank you for all you do for us.  We love you.