To Help You Breathe

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I've been spending a lot of time on Pinterest lately, it's as if the constant influx of pretty is helping to balance out the constant influx of stress*. Since they released the iPhone app, my heart is complete. Sometimes I struggle with finding the original source and other times I pin rapidly without thinking. I've been collecting images on a pinboard I named Breathe lately.


I wish all of us a breath-filled Monday.

* I found out a few days ago that I have a suspicious site that will require surgery soon. I am having a very tough time trying to wrap my head around this sudden medical drama when we have to turn in our keys four weeks from today to this house and we don't have a new house in Portland yet! Like I said, Pinterest is helping me a lot lately.


Breathe

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Breathing is a minimum but is it enough?

The most self-care I have been able to provide lately has been trying to breathe. The generic advice to "breathe" doesn't work very well for me, but my best friend Amy shared with me a couple of weeks ago something that does work for me: Breathe as deeply as you can whenever you think of it. 

That has made all the difference to me lately. I have been under so much pressure from so many angles but once in awhile at a stoplight or after sending an email or finishing a phone call, I will think, I should be breathing. And then I remember what Amy told me and I take a moment right then and do it. So I guess overall, I am probably doing more deep breathing through this insane schedule than I would have otherwise. I hope it is helping? That I don't know. But still it certainly can't be hurting.


I have so many thoughts during times like these like, "how can I prevent this from happening in the future?" and "why is it okay with me to be living like this?" There are some things that are out of my control, like weather that caused us to change Jaden's outdoor birthday party for 20 kids to our tiny house with 24 hours of notice. Hmmm. I hear the kids had fun? But me and my house have not recovered yet.

Other things are in my control, sort of, like my job. I read this article this morning about what do you offer that is worth $100 to someone else? It is perfect timing after another insane Wednesday at work. I wonder, why is it okay with me to earn the paltry hourly rate I am earning? It is okay with me because a job search requires time and confidence. It generally takes me 2.5 days to recover from my three days of work each week. I love my coworkers, love being in an environment that is all things photography but it is high stress and low pay. So when will I decide that on my two days off each week that it is more important to drum up some energy for a job search than to simply play catch up on all the rest of my responsibilities? This is a big, hard, scary issue. And earning $100 an hour? Now there is something my husband has believed I could do for YEARS and I am stuck back in 2008 when I was earning $25 and I won't even tell you how big of a cut I have taken for my current job. When will I believe I am worth $100 per hour?

Isn't this scary to talk about out loud?! I can hardly believe I haven't been blogging much and then I'm about to pop in here with a post like this! But seriously! I am facing a health scare right now on top of all that is going on elsewhere (um, hello, an out of state move in 6 weeks?!) and it does make me stop and say WHOA lady! What are you doing with your precious time? I am not spending it in the right ratio on the things that I'm passionate about or are deeply meaningful to me that is for sure. I need to make some changes, on top of all the other big changes though? How would that work?

I know this is a lot to think about. I am trying to be gentle with myself. If you could see my house right now! What do you do when you are stretched too thin? When the responsibilities and deadlines and schedule just won't quit? When you collapse exhausted each night after the kids are in bed?

Thanks for reading and emailing and commenting and being there still.

xo,
Your long lost friend Jess

Bella Italia

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Hi Friends! I have been running myself ragged in Portland juggling work and house hunting. I wanted to pop in and share this amazing image from the Amalfi Coast in Italy and say hi. I had a moment to peek at Pinterest and this was my reward.


I'm sorry I've been so absent here lately. Life has just been one giant to-do list the past few weeks and it won't stop until after next week. There's been highs (birthdays) and lows (where are all the Portland rentals hiding now that I'm finally ready to rent one?) and more mundane things like work and doctor visits, etc. I will try to catch up soon and I've taken a photo or two here or there so it would be nice to share those also.

Is anyone out there even still reading my little old blog? I have an idea, if you are, please comment with a link to your latest post and I will load them all up before I get on the plane tonight and catch up with you!

Sneak Peek

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I thought I'd finally share the first sneak peek from last week's wedding with you.



I learned a lot from shooting my first wedding and someday, I will summarize it in a blog post. I have a lot of editing ahead of me still and the bride & groom are being very patient. I lost last weekend to a migraine, worked all week and today I had big plans to edit but I've been hit with a flu bug of some kind. Please let it be only 24 hours because I want to deliver the photos as soon as I can.

Not to mention, it is finally supposed to warm up here and I have another photo shoot mentally planned that I have just been waiting on warmer temps to execute! This is no time to be down with headaches and stomachaches!

Speaking of weddings, at least I had the Royal Wedding to distract me today. I really loved reading this November interview with William and Kate, and I absolutely love the top image in this Royal Wedding summary from the dress, design & decor blog. So far, I haven't located the official source of that amazing image. Have you gotten caught up in the Royal Wedding? I didn't myself until today. If so, do you have a favorite image?

Tuesday's Inspiration

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Good day! We're halfway through and I thought I'd pause and share a couple of images that really moved me today. I hope they help you have a little mental vacation...


Photograph by Virginia Gálvez,


Photograph by Sarah Yates, seen on Style Me Pretty
see the rest of the amazing photoshoot here

I don't know about you but I needed a little mental getaway. It's still really cold here for a Northern California spring and I'm shivering. I guess California is trying to help prepare me for my future springs in Portland?

As for later, I'm hoping my husband will make me this creamy avocado and white bean wrap for dinner. Thanks again to Traci for the pin.

Scene Around Home: Easter Color

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Did you all have a wonderful weekend? Was it colorful like ours?


This year, Jaden learned that Mama does not believe Santa is in communication with the Easter Bunny about anything, much less if you've been bad or good and also the Easter Bunny does different things at different houses. For example, SHE came hopping through the meadow in our backyard and came in our back door, but HE couldn't get in to the neighbor's house so left things for the children in their front yard. Hee Hee. I am pretty sure this is the last year for the Easter Bunny. Certain people were examining the bar codes and urls on the packaging this year!

Sweet Birthdays

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Between March 29th and April 17th, we have three family birthdays, followed quickly by my son's on May 7th. It is a whirlwind of happy celebrations every year. Here is a tiny glimpse of the weekend, seen through a macro lens I borrowed from work.


It is spring break for the Noodle and he is off in an RV with his Nana. The house is a little too quiet. I found myself writing him a letter at bedtime telling him about my day and turning on his nightlight for absolutely no reason except it is a habit & it brought me some comfort. I really miss him!

Friday? Already?

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Why hello there, my poor abandoned blog! It has been quite a week since I saw you last. We had a frigid Little League game last weekend, followed by Sunday brunch for me to celebrate a dear friend's 40th birthday, followed by a dinner at my MIL's to celebrate my husband's birthday, followed by a crazybusy three days at work (one of which was my husband's actual birthday on which the Noodle was home sick from school and mama had a meltdown), followed by some Etsy inquiries which led me to realize my beloved photo lab suffered a devastating fire! Somewhere in all that, I snapped this picture of my dishes drying, of all the things to catch my eye, it was that.


Do you see me in that blue bowl? I think why this caught my eye was because for years, I couldn't settle on "kitchen colors." For years, we have moved around and around and I kept trying to "match the current kitchen." Well finally last fall, somehow I realized it would be best to choose colors I love. And so I have slowly added a few things in "my colors" and lo & behold, this was the random assortment that morning and I realized I am succeeding. I got a jolt of happiness when I saw the colors on the counter. Isn't this so silly and yet, so important too?

Now if you have read this far, I have some news to share finally:

WE ARE MOVING TO PORTLAND AT THE END OF JUNE!


Sweet MEventide: Improving an Etsy Listing

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Good morning friends!

I'd like to introduce you to my new, regular Thursday feature here on my blog where I will focus on my photography business. It is called Sweet MEventide, and I must give full credit to Erin Loechner from Design for Mankind for suggesting the idea and the witty name. xoxo Erin! :)

As you know, I took a part-time day job almost six months ago and it has taken up most of my energy ever since. I want to shift that balance and focus on my dreams again. I will share with you the baby steps as I take them.

This week, I started with a new listing in my shop. I have a folder on my computer called "Items to List." I have had this Polaroid in there for about a year! It was high time to put it in the shop and I was inspired to do this today because yesterday was our first really warm spring day.




I tried three new things for this listing.

1. I created a color palette from my photograph and using it as one of the listing photos. I created an account on COLOURlovers today for this purpose. 

2. I created an example of the photo framed to help buyers visualize it. I give full credit for these ideas to the inspiring women from my Etsy team, the Female Photographers of Etsy. As soon as I hit publish, I used my momentum and went to Statsy Clockbot to schedule renewals of my newest listing.

3. I used the Wikipedia List of Colors to go beyond "pink" in my Etsy tags. I chose "cotton candy pink" instead. 

All in all, this listing took one full hour. I suppose it will get faster and easier if I continue to practice. If you have an Etsy shop, how long does it take you to create a new listing?

Storybird

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Good morning!  Over the weekend, I visited Storybird for the first time, after following them for quite some time on Twitter. I introduced it to the Noodle at the same time, and he was very engaged. It is a totally ad-free, safe website for kids and that is important to me. We spend a lot of time vetting out his media exposure (relying primarily on Common Sense Media). Before he felt ready to make his own Storybirds, he wanted Mommy to make one first. So I did!

Lost and Found by yours truly
Illustrated by Victoria Usova

Now in the future, I will see how many other Storybirds have the title I am considering, ha ha. There are many Storybirds called Lost and Found. That's what you get for being a spontaneous Mama.

I hope you like my first children's "book." :)

for Japan

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sakura, In Full Bloom
© Jessica Nichols, Sweet Eventide Photography

This special edition image has been given to pingg as part of their Japan Disaster Relief collection and I have also listed it in my shop to raise money for Japan. Proceeds from Etsy sales of this image will be donated to the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California and Save the Children.

My heart continues to go out to the beautiful people and animals of Japan. 

Thank you for your support!

I Needed Some Pretty

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I normally do not consume network news, it is a choice I made in 2000. But I broke my own rule after reading and reading and reading about the devastation in Japan. Words feel empty, typed into a blog post, from the safety and comfort of my intact home. It is in times like these that I make myself find some pretty.

my backyard plum tree, captured this weekend

It is not that the pretty makes the ugly go away. But it is a like a tiny band-aid for my heart. When I am overwhelmed with sadness, and bursting with empathy for those affected by natural disasters such as this, I think it is okay to soothe my heart ache with a little moment of prettiness. 

I will defer to Poet Laureate Charles Simic, his words are much more eloquent than mine:  "Inside my empty bottle I was constructing a lighthouse while all the others were making ships." I suppose my backyard plum tree is my lighthouse.

Ranunculus

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I am at the market, shopping for my family. I am studying labels, studying the countries of origin, trying not to break the budget, trying not to buy stuff I won't use, trying to have some treats, but not too many, trying to have healthy snacks, trying to meal plan in my head, trying to reach things that are high, so high for Miss Five Feet One, trying to do it all at once with a thousand other things on my mind and items on my to-do list. I'm going up and down the aisles, trying not to forget anything. And then, there they were.


all images © Jessica Nichols, Sweet Eventide Photography



It is such a small thing, really. 
To buy flowers for oneself.

And yet, so very big.

Visiting Grandma

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On our way to and from Portland, we stopped at Jeff's grandma's house for a visit. Grandma T. is an amazing quilter, Spinner fan and all-around fun lady to be around. She offered us Chardonnay, homemade cookies, muffins made with homegrown blueberries, delicious lasagna and frozen homegrown strawberry jam among other things.




From where I was sitting during the game, I could see her coat rack by the front door and I felt so very happy that every hook was full. I can't tell you how nice it is to spend time with a grandma, I have missed mine in a deep way for over 8 years now. 

This post is dedicated to grandmas everywhere!

Party Planning with Sweet Paul Magazine

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Last night, my husband was busy and I had some rare pure surfing time online. Lucky for me, the newest issue of Sweet Paul was released yesterday. Also lucky for me? The Noodle's 8th birthday is a mere two months and 5 days away. It's as if Paul put out his first kids magazine just for me. Thanks Paul!



My son has been crushing on strawberries for years now. In fact, last weekend I found him a strawberry hooded towel, and last night after his bath, he made up a song & dance routine about how he is a little strawberry and "Mommy says I'm the juiciest strawberry in the field!"



Okay, come on! I know straws are bad, so bad, but come on! I cannot resist these. There is no way on earth I can resist them. And Shop Sweet Lulu? After finding this shop in the mag, I tweeted, I faint with glee. As if having a sister-in-law we call Lulu isn't enough to make me click over, the entire shop calls to me and reminds me of my other little blog that got ditched so long ago (over time management issues, not over a lack of love for the topic). Anyway! Back to the present...



This is pure little boy. There is no way my son will celebrate his 8th birthday without traktatiebootjes. Jurianne advises, The little boats sail out to celebrate weddings, new babies, new jobs, birthdays, anniversaries or sometimes even as treasure ships (with money or candies). Before you start folding, give your little boat its own name and write a personal wish or message along the railing." Um, okay! Will do!


Finally, instead of cake, I think I can convince influence show him these homemade pop tarts (spied on Pinterest where I hopped after devouring Sweet Paul).





So, in conclusion, for now, there is no party theme exactly. But lots of delicious, darling elements. Have you checked out Sweet Paul yet? Share a favorite find with me in the comments. :)

Monday Morning: Big Sky and 50 Ways to Cope with Stress

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First of all, good morning! I'm back! We had a very interesting road trip. It was the longest family road trip we have ever taken.



Big Sky seen in very northern California
taken with Instagram



We spent the night in Ashland on the way to and from Portland, which was a very wise choice. Most of the time I don't really feel 40 but my back sure tells me I am after 5 hours in a car.

Ashland, by the way?
 Could it be any more darling?
I have a new favorite haunt in Oregon now.

Second of all, I think this little ad blurb thing is an excellent (not perfect) way to start a Monday morning, especially after a week off of work and school. We got home Saturday evening and I worked from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. preparing for the upcoming week. I think my hard work will pay off and plus, I hosted my MIL for dinner to thank her for taking care of Bubba for us while we were gone. 




If you want, or need, some more advice, check out my Good Reminders pinboard on my Pinterest.

How have you all been?!