simply… christmas time.

it’s just a few days until christmas.  the house is cozy and decorated.  but the week we just finished was really tough.  feeling so tired & overwhelmed, anxious, and… tired…  a little camera therapy and re-framing my thoughts to the beauty of a simple christmas.  and the true focus of the holiday.

simplicity is something i admire, i respect, i strive for…  but it doesn’t come naturally.

seems like just picking up the camera and putting the f-stop really low and taking pictures of things around my home and my children does wonders to remembering to focus on the little beauties, the simple little things like the joy of baking for my 5 year old and the many expressions of my three month old.  so here’s to the final days before christmas and keeping them more simple.  merry christmas & love to all.  remember to focus on the real reason of the holiday & little simple beauties.



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sparkly snow…

rebekah gough is a go-to for crafty miracles…  i am sooooo not able to dream up these amazing numbers she does, but do appreciate their sweetness.

i couldn’t figure out what to do with my jars like what she has, and well…. realistically will just look at her’s and think how cool that would be.  my little kai is under the weather, and that makes getting out a little tough these chilly (san diego version of winter) days.  collecting some simple pictures of these days where we are re-grouping at home and enjoying tidying up now that life is a little less hecktic.

until then — go drool over all of rebekah’s awesomeness…   www.rebekahgough.blogspot.com

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winter snowglobes

a few weeks ago, corey villicana walked into my home and gifted me this homemade “snowglobe”  i about fell over in awe of a.) how perfectly it goes in my house, & b.) that she made it!  i hope to pull it together enough to make some myself before christmas, but if not, i’ll save the idea for next year.  i just adore them!! thanks corey for sharing… getting in the spirit around here, even added a sweet version of an old christmas carol above.

Hello, my name is Corey Villicana. I’m thrilled to be sharing a simple little DIY project here on Stacy’s beautiful blog. What an honor to be included in such a fun segment. I was shopping at one of my favorite stores about a month ago and was inspired by a simple clear mason jar, that with a bit of help had been transformed into a tiny winter wonderland . I thought to myself, what a lovely little gift to have readily on hand to give to friends and family throughout the holiday season. I made the jars over the course of an hour or so with a dear friend of mine and have throughly enjoyed them both in my own home, as well as sharing them and seeing them displayed in the homes of loved ones. This project could not be more simple, and there is plenty of opportunity to stray from the materials that I used, in order to make your winter jars a unique reflection of yourself. Enjoy! xo C

here is my sweet little winter slow jar.  perched on my piano next to my sweet bottles & jar collection, wishing more of them were filled with a little winter wonderland.

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christmas is coming…

and i have so far to go…  all of a sudden i am finally thinking about our christmas.

the christmas cards are going out tomorrow (finally)…  the gift lists are getting made (finally)…  the baking ideas are starting to flow (finally)

but we are still trying to resist the urge to over-spend, over-consume, and over-commit.  i am beyond proud to say i haven’t been to target in months and still plan to have all our gifts be either hand-made, homemade, self-created (photos of course), or purchased from a local small business.  so yes, legos will be purchased of course – but we’ll support our local toy stores whenever we can.  but since i am not even close to being crafty, like some folks i know (my mother, gwenrebekahingridcorey… and all you bloggers) – it takes a little creativity, or inspiration!!

i ran across this blog post (from which these photos are taken, it’s a great little post) from tahnee at “milk please mum“, and got all inspired!  so tomorrow, we’ll bake. and tuesday we’ll create…  and each day this week we’ll enjoy being festive.  thanks for the inspiration!  i’ll post how we’re doing – and if we’re struggling, i’ll enlist some support from the real christmas creative ones out there.

hope your season is off to a festive & jolly start!

(all photos by tahnee from “milk please mum” because i haven’t done any christmas prep or baking!! hoping to have some of my own up here soon.  be sure to check our her sweet blog.)

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gratitude

this morning i am so grateful. it’s quiet, warm, the tree lights are on and my little boys are content & cozy.  i want to say thank you to each person who has been an encourager of this place, & of my photography.  letting me into your world, your family, & your homes (whether through taking your pictures, or just by my blog).  thank you for the encouraging words, the warmth, the gifts for kai… i am beyond amazed at the thoughtfulness & graciousness.

sweet corey wrote me this email after her shoot at the time she wrote it, i was tired, overwhelmed, exhausted… & totally burned out of taking pictures.  maybe beyond tired, going a little nutty…  it lifted my spirits & kept me trudging on to today.  when all the christmas rush has settled & now i look back with gratitude.  

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ten on ten :: december

today was a “re-group” day.

simple.

all about my boys, some christmas work squeezed in here & there, and again… my boys.  my pictures weren’t the focus of today, and that was the re-group part of the day.

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holiday season

take in the warmth of the cozy home. bummed i didn’t think to sneak one of those treats in my bag.

here’s to holiday traditions & capturing them in photographs as well as memories.

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as you go by (part ii)

photoshoots like this one revive me, remind me of how much i enjoy this process.  my favorite shoots are ones where there is a little bit of silly, a little chaos & adventure, real interactions.  laughter.   while i sit and edit away, i get lost in the photographs.  ceasing to care if the photos are perfect, if everyone in them looks just perfect.   just a feeling, whatever that feeling may be.  to sit and enjoy the small glimpse i get into a family, their world.  to try to understand how to encourage their spirit to shine through in their eyes.  it’s a challenge in so many ways. wonderful ways.

corey villicana is a breath of fresh air.  enjoy these pictures corey.  i went with the same song as last year (photoshoot here) – it’s just so fitting for you, your family & our friendship.  thank you, truly.

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seattle rain, snow, & special folks

the coffee, the neighborhoods, the beauty… there is so much to love about seattle.  and for us, the people are one of the best parts of this great city.  many very favorite people are in these pictures, and several aren’t featured here, because my camera was quiet and our chatter took over.

we love them all.

it is so special to share these special places & people with our boys.


it rained nearly every day we were in seattle…

my mom, (in response to me telling her about this pouring rain while we were there), wrote me a little note saying,

“all beauty comes with a price it seems.”

our trip was beautiful.

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northwest

oh i can’t wait to get all my seattle pictures downloaded and sorted and up on the blog…  just made some coffee – maybe i’ll stay up late and do it.

despite working through literally thousands of pictures, i seem to still get giddy over photographs.

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