Road Trip Summer 2014 | iPhone Collection

The kids and I have been traveling this month, roadtripping to Kentucky to visit my family and then to North Carolina to visit Chris's. Thirty hours in the car with little ones? Yes, I am certifiably crazy. But we made memories. We saw my grandma who is very ill (it was hard leaving her house, knowing it's likely the last time I'll kiss her soft cheek this side of Heaven). Lila learned how to swim and Charlotte splashed and pretended she was a mermaid. Parker wanted to take home every dog he saw (bless his heart). We caught lots of bass and bluegill from the best little fishing hole ever, we sipped honeysuckle and picked blackberries and we ate yummy homemade country food. We visited my sisters and my kids' cousins and all three of my remaining grandparents. We met new friends and played with old ones, we fed bread to ducks and grilled hot dogs and paddled a boat on a pond in the twilight and touched lilypads. We watched a field of cows graze on grass and we climbed apple trees and ate fresh tomatoes and corn on the cob. We swung on porch swings and tire swings and rope swings. We caught "lightning bugs" and kept them in a jar, and we slept late and stayed up even later. We watched movies and played games and ate cake and celebrated two birthdays. We took lots and lots of photos, more than I can count. WE LIVED LIFE TO THE FULLEST. And it was beautiful.

So I thought I'd share some simple iPhone photos from our trip with you. I have a lot more from the "big camera" that I'll share soon too. I also had the honor of photographing some sweet folks from back home during my visit, so look for those to be featured on the blog in the next week or so.

“People, there's no such thing as, THE BEST CAMERA BRAND, but yes there will always be THE BEST CAMERA AT ANY GIVEN TIME. Technology will change, but not art.”  ― Ashraf Saharudin

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I post a lot on Instagram these days, because it's easier than blogging and lets me post short, one-image entries rather quickly. Sometimes I post client work, sometimes you'll see more personal reflections and my kids' memories-in-process, but whatever you see will always come with a lot of heart. If you'd like to get to know me a little better and catch up with me more often than simply here on the blog, then I'd love for you to FOLLOW ME  @staceywoods on Instagram.

Have a wonderful Friday, my friends.

What being with Lila looks like

Oh, my Lila. I love so many things about this daughter of mine.  I've posted a lot of her pictures and stories lately on Facebook and Instagram, so I thought I'd devote the first 2013 edition of "What ______ Looks Like" to my sweet middle one.  She blesses my heart every day, and it is a joy to share her with you today, with a combination of iPhone photos and "big camera" photos as well.  I hope you enjoy. ////

What Being With Lila Looks Like

She is my free-spirit. My messy artist, my lover of crafting and painting and sticking and taping and drawing and sketching and writing.  She is forever leaving us notes, writing on calendars, art paper, envelopes, and her favorite canvas: HERSELF.  Marker-tattoos are her specialty.

She is an enthusiastic early reader (she's only four), and she always begs for "just one more story" at bedtime.  It's hard to tell her no.

My helper, my little mama. She always knows where I've absentmindedly sat something down.  She is delightfully observant.  She can always tell me what Charlotte needs when she cries, which comes in super handy in the car!  I find Lila's babydolls covered up with blankets all over the house.  She often shushes me because "Bitty Baby is asleep."  She will make an excellent mama someday.

Lila is our tomboy-princess. All of her "twuhly skiwts" (twirly skirts) have tiny holes in the hems, because she climbs trees (with her brother) while wearing them. Fancy clothes cannot hold her back.

She is a mirror, reflecting my mannerisms and habits back to me. It's not always sweet, which lets me keep a check on my own heart. For instance, when we're stuck in traffic, her sweet voice suddenly shocks you with, "GO, people. We don't have all day." I raise my guilty hand. Pretty embarrassed about it, too.

Her sweet lisp is endearing to me, and I will certainly mourn when she outgrows it. "We don't go to da gas station wif da gween sun because dey made our ocean diwty." (Referring to the historic Gulf oil spill and our resulting boycott of that particular gas station with the green sunburst logo.)

She's delightfully random. She pipes up with whatever is on her mind at any given moment: "I like butterflies!"

She has her own beautiful way of saying ordinary words. Taking off her shoes post-beach and shaking them out, she exclaims: "My shoes have sandy in dem." When the moonroof is open, and our car's interior is too bright for her liking, she begs... "Close it! It's too shiny!" This sweet girl has no idea that she is our sunshine.

She is funny without ever trying to be. When Skyping with my sister once, our computer screen froze and we complained about it. Always the literal one, Lila scrambled up and offered, "I'll go turn off the fan."  Darling girl thought we were really "freezing".

She's forever carrying food around the house.  One evening several months ago, as I nursed Charlotte in the bedroom chair, Lila brought an entire plate of food into the bedroom.  I asked her to please take her food to the table. Of course, I meant the kitchen table, but she promptly sat her plate on the bedroom nightstand. (I did say a table, after all.) I don't think the kitchen table ever occurred to her; she just looked around the room for the nearest table, so that she could still be with us.  How could I refuse her?  Again, she's so literal that it makes me smile.

Lila Kate. Lilabean. Lilabug. Lila Cakes. Li. Lila Jane. Ya-ya (Charlotte's baby-talk name for her).

I asked her once, "Lila, what in the world would I do without you?" She smiled and quickly offered, "You'd cry... and cry and cry and cry."

And I would.

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I'm honored to link up to Shannon Sewell this month.  I had the pleasure of interviewing her in 2011 for The Creative Mama's Creative Photography Series.  She is delightful, and I can't wait to see the gorgeous art she shares with us today.

Five on Friday | iPhone Photo Apps You'll Love

Here we are at week two of the Five on Friday Project!  This week I thought I'd share a few iPhone photo apps you need to try.  Especially in light of so many folks signing on for the 365/Grateful Project.  It's super easy to document your grateful moments with your camera phone, because generally it's either in your purse, your back pocket, in your hand or on your desk most of the time (if you're like me!). FIVE ON FRIDAY  |  My Favorite iPhone Photo Apps

1  |  ShakeIt Photo my heart goes pitter-patter when the shutter sounds.  Reminiscent of a vintage polaroid!  Shaking your phone isn't necessary for the photo to "develop", but it is absolutely 100% required for fun.  :)

2  |  Shake It which is different than ShakeIt Photo.  I love it because it offers a more authentic white "frame" or back, and the processing is a little softer (the way I like it), but lately it's been a bit slow on my iPhone... not sure why.  Still love it though, and use it all the time.

3  |  Hipstamatic + all the fun films and lenses.  Try these lenses: Kaimal Mark II, Helga Viking, and Roboto Glitter.  SO much fun.  Fave films are Ina 1969, Pistil, and the BlacKeys B&W.

4  |  Tilt-Shift Generator mimics the super fun tilt-shift lens with your iPhone photos.  Love, love, love the effects of this app!!

5  |  Camera Bag's "Instant" selection has more muted processing than some other "polaroid" apps.  And the "Helga" (Holga) option is fantastic.

And just because I can't stop at five today... I recently discovered CrossProcess and PictureShow.  MillColour also looks promising.

This one was taken with the default camera on my iPhone 3Gs and ran through CrossProcess.

Now go check these apps out, and have fun playing!  And if you have any favorites of your own, please do share in the comments!  I'd love to find a few more outlets for my obsessive-compulsive iphoneography addiction.  ;)