Tag Archives: Henna Blossom Blog

fall into autumn. even later. pumpkins, oh my. part two.

fallDSC_0554fall 2fallDSC_0633fallDSC_0640fallDSC_0582fall 4fallDSC_0677fallDSC_0655fall photos father toddler sonfallDSC_0674fallDSC_0661fallDSC_0686fallDSC_0712fall 3fallDSC_0681fallDSC_0734fallDSC_0570 fallDSC_0738 fallDSC_0745fallDSC_0669

Hope everyone stateside (or celebrating abroad) had a Happy Thanksgiving! We did. We ate food, saw family, ate more food. Repeat. And not to be all braggy, but for real, our Thanksgiving spread is always a little bit extra awesome because we have Korean noodles and Korean BBQ beef along side the turkey. And baklava along side the pies for dessert. Sigh, wish there were leftovers…

SO I know everyone’s already singing Christmas songs and rushing to get trees up…but before you completely switch over, WAIT, we have more Autumn to share! Here’s Part two of our second annual trip to Indiana for Pumpkins and Fall Photos. And of course visit Noni & Papa (my parents). ;)

Just your usual December Pumpkin Patch Blog Post! ;) Ya know.

A little late, but moving on. This year was fun because Mateo is truly excited by these special outtings (nothing new) and he remembers them (new!). He’s still talking about the “punkin pash” and the “haywide.” :)

As for the Pumpkin Patch, we told Mateo that he could pick any pumpkin he wanted. He picked a miniature squash and he was done. If you look very closely at the top photos (in the corn maze) you’ll see it clutched in his hands. :) He DID however have fun looking for old rotted pumpkins and yelling “EWWW, yucky punkin” or “GARBAGE PUNKIN!” ;)

Last year he was too tiny to cover much ground. This year, he wandered into the corn maze which was cute stuff. We would have checked out the apple orchard as well but oops, we didn’t check their hours and we ran out of time. Next year! Actually we were alone at the end; caught the very last hayride back. We closed out the pumpkin patch! ;) But really, an hour or so looking for yucky punkins is quite a memory in his book.

If you missed part one, here’s a link to that: fall into autumn part one. And stay tuned. There’s ONE more Fall photo post to sneak in from that weekend way back in October. And OH MAN, it’s DECEMBER already!

HAPPY DECEMBER FIRST!

fall into autumn. just a little late. part one.

fall photos: autumn toddler photoshootfall family photoshootfall family photo shootfall toddler photofall family photo shootautumn portrait henna blossomfall morningDSC_0103fall morningDSC_0116fall morningDSC_0041fall morning 7 copyfall morningDSC_0049fall morning 4fall morningDSC_0462fall morning 1fall toddler photo

These photos are from way back in October. Before Halloween, before the snow (yup, we have snow in Chicago!), and I’m sneaking them in right before Thanksgiving. Now considering I STILL haven’t gone through all of our photos from Europe this summer…they’re not really thaaat late. ;)

We escaped to Indiana for this weekend to visit my parents. My parents left Chicago and moved to a tiny town in Indiana (three hours away), right near Amish country some years ago. It’s a different pace, and really quite a sweet place. We love making little visits, sometimes even just for 24 hours. It’s always worth the drive; Mateo LOVES seeing Noni & Papa and we get a little space from our “to do” lists. We love to see Noni and Papa too of course, and we like having to spend time together, ha. :)  It’s good to get a little space and regroup. We usually set down our cellphones, eat too much, and take long walks.

Last year we took Mateo for some “Fall Photos” and I captured so many sweet images. We also took him to his first Pumpkin Patch and decided to make it a tradition. So this was our “Second Annual.” I tried to repeat the Fall Photoshoot but OH MAN, that boy is way faster and always has his own agenda. I was afraid I didn’t really capture anything. I need to calm down, ha. Love these! But seriously, I think it’s a little impossible NOT to get a few good photos when the world is on fire with color!

I love Autumn, it’s my favorite season. I used to call it “boot season” cause I’m a boots kinda girl. I love the layers, and I love “walking weather.” I donno if it’s just me, but this year autumn has been especially beautiful. I think part of it is that I’ve started paying attention to details. For a few reasons! Mateo is a full-on toddler with reactions to everything, I’m getting more into photography which makes me want to capture all.the.things, and I’m blogging now…so I have this funny internal dialogue taking mental notes all the time (whether you guys ever get to hear it or not).

I wish I would actually scribble my notes because I remember quite clearly that I was feeling suffocated before we left Chicago. Everything felt like pressure and I just felt like I couldn’t breathe. I wasn’t able to enjoy anything. Everything felt like work and responsibility and everything reminded me that I was behind. On everything. I remember getting to my parents house, walking outside and finally breathing.

Going through these photos, I love the contrast of bright colors set off by all the dull, dead and dying scenery behind and under it. For some reason I can relate. ;)

More photos on the way! Part two: Pumpkin Patch! Part three: Bon Fire on a FARM. A real farm. I donno, that was kinda exciting for this city girl. A real farm! A real one.


Mateo’s mouse pants are from PRSPR, an adorable locally based Online shop we adore. Since everyone always asks about them, here’s a link: PRSPR mouse pants :)

**To you in the Philippines. I see you checking in. I’ve been thinking about you all the past couple weeks. I hope you and your families are okay. We’re sending our love and we’re thinking about you. xo

henna blossom

crown-10crown-2crown-4crown-8crown-5crown-9crown-11

I’m flawed. I’m sensitive and easily overwhelmed. I’m prone to anxiety and living in extremes. I’m hopelessly unorganized and obnoxiously critical of myself and my abilities. I need lots of time alone and abhor feeling trapped. *Yeah, total dream-wife and mother-of-the-year material right there. Sigh.

But I’m also more.

Earlier this week, a blog friend (and inspiration) of mine, Sisilia Piring posted a “Recipe for a Long and Happy Life” by Ruth Bernhard on Instagram. And it hit me in just the right place. I felt an inner “YES.” It immediately brought me back to a promise I made to myself in my early teens, that I would never become jaded. This list is a verbalization of many unspoken vows which have preserved me from being crushed by my flaws.

I hope that you will find this list to be just as powerful, encouraging, sweet and inspiring.

Recipe for a Long and Happy Life by Ruth Bernhard

  1. Never get used to anything
  2. Hold on to the child in you
  3. Keep your curiosity alive
  4. Trust your intuition
  5. Delight in simple things
  6. Say “yes” to life with passion
  7. Fall madly in love with the world
  8. Remember: Today is the Day!

When I started this blog, I was tired and I was frustrated. But I was full of ideas and and I wanted to grow and to make something. It was excruciatingly hard for me to put myself out there in the open. It sounds funny now that I have a personal blog on the internet, but I was the private girl who didn’t even have a “relationship status” on facebook until I was “married.”

But blogging has brought me closer to each of these “ingredients” to a “long and happy life.” I am tired, I am a mess, I loose my cool all the time, and my photography, writing, and  design skills or whathaveyou are all absolutely just a “work in progress.” But I have this project on the side: HENNA BLOSSOM (me!) which makes me look at my life and the world through a different lens. It makes me want to create something from the little moments. To pay attention. To appreciate them, and when I just can’t appreciate them (like 5-7:30 pm every day with a toddler), to learn from them. :)

What’s funny, is that most of the work for this blog, you’ve never seen and maybe you never will. I’ve photographed food, style, travel, family and home posts. I’ve written essays in my drafts folder and even more in my head which I may or may not ever have time to finish. But it changes me. Having this ongoing “conversation” connects me to my life in a deeper way.

And as these posts pile up, I can see myself learn and grow. I’ve also been able to connect with so many of you fighting the same good fight. There are so many of us trying to live fully, in the middle of “LIFE.” And let’s not miss out on LIFE while we’re trying to live, eh? ;)

SO THESE PHOTOS…

I’m in love with them. And haha, yes, they’re of me so maybe that statement sounds a little bit narcissistic. Okay maybe a lot bit. But ah well, I love them. :) They feel very me, and that’s not something I’m able to do consistently. I like that they came from an idea in my head. I like that they feel editorial, but they’re really of me snapping photos during Mateo’s nap in his playroom. My wardrobe is what I threw together as a spur of the moment “forest maiden” Halloween costume. I set up the camera and a tripod and timer. When I couldn’t get what I wanted, I begged the husband to take a break from work (Aki was working from home that day). I set up the camera for him and I’d just explain what I wanted and then we’d look at them and I’d explain again, ha. Thank you for going through that Aki! And then I edited.

So here is me and here is my blog. This is my life and I’m making it work. I’m a mom without much time or brainspace for creative things. But I thrive on learning and creativity and I am striving for a happy life. Sometimes I just say things and post photos for memory sake, and sometimes I post something that is straight from my heart and fills me with pride.

Thank you for stopping by.


Thank you Sisilia for posting Ruth Bernhard’s “Recipe for a Long and Happy Life.” If you want to check out Sisilia’s instagram feed (she’s kinda a rockstar there), here’s her new personal lifestyle handle: @piringsisilia as well as her major photography handle: @sisiliapiring. I find her incredibly inspiring. She’s a mom of two young, gorgeous little things and an incredible fashion photographer. I just like to know that people like her exist. That it’s possible. We would have never connected if I hadn’t started this silly blog, and there’s just another reason I’m thankful I put myself out here on the internet eight months ago. Tell her I said “hi.” She’s a good one.

And if you want to check out my Instagram feed. I’m: hennablossom. I’m not as amazing. But you’re here, so you probably like me anyway. :)


WHICH FROM THE LIST SPEAK TO YOU? 1, 2, 3 and 5 jump out for me, but I love them all.