Stacy's Stuff
Traci's Stuff
Posted on November 29, 2009
I spent the past 5 days surrounded by the ones who mean the most to me. My family! Though we were unable to spend it with our large extended families in Ohio, Florida, New York and North Carolina, they were with us in spirit. We celebrated with my wonderful sister and mother this year and it was splendid! The boys had a great time embracing new traditions and being with the ones who love them most.
Jax helped me pull out the fancy dishes and I promised him we would start using them more often, as he says “they are too pretty to keep up in the cabinets.” So true! I got this lovely china set as a wedding gift from my parents and it is so silly that we SAVE things for special occasions. I am determined to make more special occasions through out the year. I started a thankful jar. Each of us got 4 pieces of paper and wrote down things we were thankful for. It was fun to hear what the kids had to say, and very heartwarming to hear the adults as well. A few favorites were family, showers, hugs and work. As you can see in the picture below we all had a part in preparing the feast!
Here Logan is modeling his turkey leg hat he made at school. It has to be one of the best Thanksgiving crafts I have seen!! We also had a kiddy table this year! How funny is it that I have enough kids to have a kids table. Oh the memories I have with all 13 of my cousins sitting at the kids table! Good times… good times!
I was such a great day and the food of course was fantastic! Thanksgiving is one of my all time favorite holidays. I love that is truly about family! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!
Here are a few things I am thankful for, and I would love to hear what you are thankful for. For every comment left on this post (from now till December 15) I will donate a can of food to the local food pantry. I got this idea from other photographers and wanted to do it as well!
So your comment equals one can of food! I’ll be sure to post pictures once all the cans have been purchased! 
)
I am thankful for……
My boys
Warm clothes
Coffee
All the wonderful people I have worked for this past year
Blankets
Sunshine
The men and women serving this great country
and now you go…..
Posted on November 28, 2009
I am up to my eyeballs in editing. I wanted to give you all a little peek of what is to come in the next few days! Enjoy!
Posted on November 23, 2009
I am so far behind on blogging it’s not even funny. I apologize. I am going to give it my all to get this up and going again, if not everyday, at least once a week.
I wanted to show off the lovely Miss Chelsea before I go tackle some more editing. If you are waiting for your pictures… they are coming! Be patient. The past 6 months have been INSANE! I am so blessed that my business is taken off, and a bit overwhelmed. But that is a whole other post, ha ha ha.
Miss Chelsea thank you for being a fantastic 2010 rep for us and we look forward to watching you spread your wings. You are a remarkable young lady and I see nothing but great things in your future! Best wishes and ENJOY!
Posted on November 19, 2009
I decided to let my patriotic hubby pick the winner this evening. He wasn’t keen on pulling names out of hat and having it documented for the world to see. So we picked a number.
Here are the numbers and names that I have entered
1. Kelly
2. Kym
3. Kim
4. Lauren
5. Tiffani
6. Danielle
7. Rebecca
8. Amy
9. Jana
And he picked #
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we’re getting closer….
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feel the anticipation!
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5 & 6
Tiffany Tillmann & Danielle Fulton thank you and please give us a call or shoot us email with your contact info!!! We look forward to hearing from you soon!!!
THANK YOU to all that served, serve and entered!!!!
Enjoy!
Stacy
Danielle’s entry:
#5 Tiffani Tillman says:
November 15, 2009 at 11:03 pm (Edit) -
I am submitting this on behalf of my wonderful husband, Luke. He served in the United States Army from 1998 to 2002 and is currently serving in the Army National Guard. He recently went to training for SF but was sent home early after falling 28 feet! He came out unscathed thankfully. In the civilian world, he puts his life on the line everyday as a police officer. I think this a wonderful way to show how much all of the members of the armed forces are appreciated for their sacrifices! Good luck to all.
#6 Danielle Fulton says:
November 16, 2009 at 1:18 am (Edit) -
I am Submiting on behalf of my husband, SSgt Fulton, USMC. My husband has been in the Marines for 11 years and is currently serving his THIRD tour in Iraq. I don’t even know where to begin to tell you about him. He and I went to high school together but were not High School Sweet hearts. Casey and I went our separate ways and met up again about 12 years later. He was young and wild, and I was recently divorced with a two and a half year old daughter. From day one, he accepted and loved my daughter like she was his own. My daughter has a disability that I was in complete denial over. If it wasn’t for him, my daughter would not have made the progress she has made. He firmly believes that she “is his reason for being”! after about three years of being together, we had our son Micah, who is a spitting image of his father, and wants to be exactly like him. Casey has taught me the meaning of unconditional love. he is not your typical “Marine” stereotype. Sure he is strong and tough, but on the other side he is the most caring person i know. He only thinks about what is good for his family, and sacrifices his own “wants” for us. He is my BEST friend!
Even if we don’t get picked to win, thank you for the opportunity for me to tell you a little about such an amazing person.
Semper Fi
8.
Posted on November 12, 2009
I love Senior Sessions because not only do I meet awesome folks but I also get to unleash my creativity. Each session is different, I always challenge myself to make these sessions as personal as possible. I want my seniors to look back years from now and say, “Yep, that was totally me!”
When you are looking for a photographer to capture your Senior year, I hope you would consider us. But even you decide against us here are some really great tips on how to get the most out of your pictures.
#1 Find a photographer’s who’s style is something that you LOVE.
#2 Find a photographer that knows what they are doing. You DO get what you pay for.
#3 Your photographer should be really interested in YOU! Not that cheesy fake 20 question stuff, I mean you should be able to connect with your photographer and feel 100% comfortable.
#4 Be yourself. Don’t try and be something that you want to be, it will show. Be proud of who you are and show it with all your might! When you are 30 and looking at those pictures you will be proud that you did your thing YOUR WAY!
Follow these tips and you are sure to get steller images that you will adore and cherish forever!
We are currently looking for Senior Models for the 2011 graduating class. If you know someone who might be interested please send them our way. We have been so fortunate to have had amazing models this year. Chelsea and Janelle are two amazing young ladies that I think the world of. Honestly all the seniors i have met up with this past year have been so cool, and very together. I adore each and everyone of you. And I look forward to watching your journey unfold! And I thank you all for allowing me to be a part of your senior year!
No post is complete without a picture or two, so here is one of our O’Fallon Models, Janelle. We just finished up her fall session and I love them! Janelle has amazing style! And her beauty is very chic and classic!
Is that dress not the best?? Thanks for stopping by!
Enjoy.
Posted on November 11, 2009
In honor of Veteran’s Day we are giving away something for past and present veterans!!! I LOVE GIVE ALWAYS!!
If you are a vet all you have to do is leave a comment below simply telling us who you are, what branch you served in and the dates you honorably served!! We will pick a random winner next Tuesday…. so you have a WEEK to enter!!
What you can win:
Free session with Stacy
CD with 15 high resolution images with print rights
8×10 and a 5×7 to display proudly
Here’s the catch, are you ready? Please do not enter if you have no plans on ever being in the St Louis area. I will travel up to 30 miles for this session without a charge. Also the free session needs to be used by August 1, 2010.
Ok that’s all…. oh here’s a few fun pictures for you. A true blast from the past! I dug these out today. Don’t you love it when you dig in that old box full of memories. It’s funny how those memories get pushed aside for life right now, but as soon as you pick up the picture, gently run your fingers over it, that moment is here and real again.
Enjoy!
Ok so I am in here somewhere. lol I see myself… 2nd row from the right, 3rd gal in. )
Me and my mama on the day I graduated basic training. Proud day! Ahhh memories!
Posted on November 8, 2009
This post is best viewed while listening to an old classic but sung by a new voice.
Ok now that we have that going lets continue with the post. I met with this sweet sweet girl a few weeks ago to help ring in her 1st birthday. I LOVE 1st birthday sessions. I love that 1st birthday excitement for baby and for the parents! It’s a celebration of this lovely gift that came in to your life and it’s also a celebration for parents… saying WE MADE IT! That first year is one crazy year. So much happens. One minute you are walking with a bump, or like me a house, attached to you. Then you are welcoming a bundle of love into your arms and heart. Sleepless nights, feedings, diapers, rolling over, smiling, cooing, eating solid foods, pooping solid foods, spit ups, shots, Dr. appointments, diapers, strollers, cribs, clothes, bibs, binkies, thumb sucking, cuddling, teaching, belly time, sitting up, crawling, cruising, diapers, teething, feeding, finger foods, pinching, grabbing, loving, and more diapers….. and sometimes in that first year baby will walk. That’s not all of the joys the first year brings, only a sample. Have done it 3x now, I will have to say that first year is the most exciting, and most exhausting. But I can only speak for up to the age of 8 right now. Catch up with me when all 3 are teens and lets see how much sleep I am getting then. Oh the joys of parenthood!
Ok, ok, ok…. back to this lovely lady. We met up here in Lebanon for a lovely little session with balloons, bows, pumpkins and CAKE! I’m pretty sure Miss Jorja thought Steph and I were two odd and crazy ladies, you should have seen some of the looks I got. lol But she was never fussy and just cruised through her session with out a peep. She is one easy going little girl! Thank you mom and dad for allowing me to capture this milestone!
Enjoy!
Posted on November 5, 2009
If you haven’t heard we will be closing over the Holidays and coming back all new. I am so excited for all the things we have in store for you. I know it seems like only yesterday that Molto Bella came alive with our happy logo and bright colors. We really hope to still use that logo and name, but for something else. It’s a work in progress and hopefully Spring 2010 we will have it all worked out to share with you. Molto Bella isn’t gone forever, just for a moment.
I’m pushed for time right now, Thursdays are crazy here. It’s delivery and ordering day! I love Thursday’s, it’s always exciting to see clients get their packages. It’s a little like Christmas!
I wanted to start letting you all know what is going on. Surprises are fun, but uncertainty isn’t! Some quick notes on what is to come.
New name: McPeek-Smith Photography or McPeek Smith Photography
We haven’t decided if the hyphen will stay or go. It makes more sense to drop it, but I have an attachment to it. )
Logo: Our new logo is something we are designing together. We want it to truly represent who we are, what we are and where we come from. I want to be able to look at it, love it and know it is US!
Us who? Stephanie and I of course. And we are looking at possibly adding someone pretty special to the line up! Stay tuned for that!
This is such an exciting time and I happy to share it with you! Stay tuned for more updates!
Posted on November 5, 2009
… to get family portraits before your birds leave the nest. ) I had such a great time with this family! The weather was cruddy, but that didn’t stop us! I knew how important this session was to mom and I wanted to make sure we got some great shots of the family and of the 3 kids together. Her baby, Miss Tori will be college bound in 2010, Miss Emily is there and Travis {a.k.a Trevor} will be headed off to Italy soon! These kids have got it together! And it’s no wonder, their parents are FANTASTIC!! Thanks to you all, it was a blast! And hopefully you have set a trend! Why don’t more parents have family portraits done when the kids are this age? I will gladly take them and you can enjoy them!! The pictures that is! ;o)
Enjoy!
Posted on November 5, 2009
I got to meet Tatum and Justin last month. They gave Stephanie and I the pleasure of shooting their engagement session. We met at the McKendree College here in Lebanon, not because they went there, but because the buildings are fantastic.
I was bummed that the leaves weren’t vibrant but we had fun with what we had. Is this not the cutest?
Ok so, Tatum and Justin are not only cute, but they are hilarious! I can honestly say I haven’t laughed like I have with them in a long time. I love a good sense of humor!
Thanks again Tatum and Justin! We had a blast and look forward to talking to you all soon!
Enjoy!