minding my nest

practicing the art of an ordinary life

  • Home
  • Blog
  • 2025 Desktop Calendars
  • Lightroom Tutorials
  • Online classes
  • Class Login

October Looked Like This

October looked like (finally!) starting to feel all the fall vibes. Rich, warm colors. Big pots of mums on the front porch. The first signs of the leaves starting to change.

October looked writing down words and printing photos. Something I hadn’t done in a long time. I’m always surprised at how easily it comes back to me when I haven’t done it in a while. Kinda like riding a bike I think. The truth is that I haven’t felt moved to do a lot of memory keeping this year. Like any creative outlet there are seasons of ebb and flow. But doing these layouts reminded me why I love it so much.

October looked like finding beauty and light on my evening walks when the darkness and ugliness of the world was on full display. And I am grateful that it was there to be seen.

October looked like giving thanks for my small, safe, ordinary life. Feeling grateful for Tripp and all the ways he shows up for us in our life together. Feeling grateful for my fur-babies that bring so much happiness and laughter to my life.

October looked like picking the last blooms of the season. We had our first freeze this week, so gardening season has officially come to a close. These are mostly likely the last of this season’s blooms. It’s always a little sad, and it’s also a little bit of a relief.

October looked like feeling the pull to bring my attention to projects inside the house and being ready to embrace all the cozy goodness of this time of year.

October looked getting to spend some time with my girl. Kelsey came over last night to help me pass out candy to the hordes of kids that descended on our neighborhood to trick or treat. We sat huddled on the front porch in our big coats (and space heater!), freezing our butts off for one of the coldest Halloweens I can recall.

When the world feels chaotic and troubled, I am especial grateful for the comforting and grounding effect of my daily photography practice.

As always, thank you for letting me share my photos and stories with you.

Love, kelly

Share this!

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Filed Under: life 1 Comment

Subscribe to get the latest

free goodies straight to your inbox

« Learning To See | Both Bitter and Sweet
Learning to See | Trail Magic »

Comments

  1. Sharin says

    November 1, 2023 at 7:51 pm

    I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate your newsletters. They are so insightful and inspiring. I really need to get back to doing something with memory keeping. I always sit and think of how perfectly I want each page to look but in reality, the finished pages are just what my heart needs. …Those reminders of how abundantly God has blessed my life.
    I’m thinking of asking for a new camera for Christmas. Would you mind sharing which one you use regularly? (I’m aware that it’s the photographer, not the camera, that makes the image spectacular — and yours always are!)
    Thanks for noting the little things around you and sending them to me. 😉

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

My New Photography Class Is Here!

Here’s where you can find me on the web

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

About Me

Hi There! I’m Kelly. I am a wife, mom, light seeker, homemaker, and storyteller. From an empty nest to an abundant life, all it took was a little time, a lot of faith, and the courage to see my life differently.

You can read more about my story here.

So now, armed with my trusty Canon camera, here is where I share my journey to live an inspired and intentional life.

Welcome to my little corner of the interwebs!

Learning to See Photography Series

December Daily® 2023


Popular Categories

  • 10 Things
  • ordinary life
    • family
    • faith
    • friends
    • travel
  • creativity
    • photography
    • memory keeping
    • blogging
  • home & garden
    • recipes
    • gardening
    • crafts
    • holidays
  • my favorite posts
    • my not-so-empty nest
    • the art of an ordinary life
  • Memory Keeping 2019
  • Photography
  • About Me
  • Contact

AROUND THE WEB

Regular Contributor to Focusing on Life.

Story Teller for Ali Edwards Design Team

Currently Teaching at Big Picture Classes.

My Portfolio - Kelly Ishmael Photography

Some of My Favorite Topics

10 Things 31 days 50 Stories 52 Weeks of Pinspiration! blogging crafts creativity faith family friends gardening holidays home Learning To See life memory keeping Nature photography recipes seasons Summer Magic The Week in Photos travel Uncategorized

Copyright © 2025 · Faithful theme by Restored 316

 

    %d