so, i subconsciously stole ali’s word. i guess it’s such a lovely, insightful word, that after she shared it with me, i accidentally made it mine, too. thanks for sharing your word, ali! i love hearing what your words are for 2010–if you haven’t shared yet, please do! happy new year’s eve!
xoxo, lisa
we are thrilled to be collaborating with ali edwards again for her word of the year project.
you can read more about the project here.
i love this idea. and this year we have a super simple, organic design to help you connect with your word every day.
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our new necklace for this year is a thick, 3/4″ sterling washer, hand-cast with an organic feel. customize with your own word or phrase-up to 15 characters! it’s absolutely stunning and simple enough for everyday.
you’ll find it here.
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my word this year is ’story’. i feel like every day, as steve and i nurture our boys, work, play, see friends and dream, our story unfolds. i want to play an active role in the story, and not let it happen without my notice. i want to be present in our story–not just physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually. i want to be focused. so i chose the word ’story’ to help me remember to be present, and to watch with contentment while our story unfolds.
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journey. dream. imagine. fulfill. what’s your word for 2010?
xoxo, lisa

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we had such a relaxing trip to omaha. the snow slowed us down–which was fine with me! for two days, all did we relax. wonderful!
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video games, snoozing, reading magazines, watching movies, sipping hot chocolate, you get the idea.
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i think it’s safe to say, matthias looooved the snow. it was a completely different experience from the coast of california. wading through knee deep snow kept him very happy.
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steve’s family is british, so that means mince pies, crackers (the rolled up tubes filled with goodies) and roasted potatoes.
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these pics above were taken right after i told matthias to be careful, then he fell in the snow. it was hilarious.
i’m heartless, i know.
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a highlight of our trip was meeting staci, jim, vinny and leo. staci is an online friend and vinny (pictured above with david) was also born with cdls. we met for pie and immediately connected. it’s crazy how similar our experiences have been. when you meet another family with cdls, it’s like meeting extended family. we could have talked all night. you can get to know staci and vinny here.
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they have a 5 year old (Leo) and he and Matty had a blast eating ice cream, playing superheros, and coloring.
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Vinny is sooo darling. I completely fell in love. Oh, he is so charming. I could go on and on…
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We loved our snowy trip to Omaha. Please tell me about your holiday!!
xoxo, lisa

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we’ve been cozy and relaxed with family in nebraska. this is our first white christmas–and it’s been very, very white. we were snowed in for two days, which was fine with me. lots of food, video games, magazines and naps. it’s so good to be together, but i’ve also been finding little moments to sneak away and be alone–that’s how i recharge.
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how do you recharge-by being with people or by finding time alone?
xoxo, lisa
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we’re closing out the year with some amazing deals. four of our faves are reduced just for a couple days!
the petite crest
leaf ornament
baby spoon
and
laundry line
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hope your christmas was wonderful.
we’re off to doing some shopping and maybe see the zoo.
xoxo, lisa

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sending warm christmas wishes to you.
i hope your day is warm, cozy and blessed.
merry christmas!!
xoxo, lisa


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yesterday we left reeeally early (before sunrise) to visit family in omaha. the boys were super excited about the plane ride. that wore off after the first half hour. then matthias said he’d rather walk to omaha. luckily, we convinced to him stay on the plane. david was such a happy guy, especially during take off and landing.
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the landscape here is completely different than california. we’re loving a white christmas. it’s snowing and the cousins are playing. i’m off to drink more coffee and lay around and do nothing. merry christmas!
xoxo, lisa



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when you’re a little boy at christmas time…
wrapping paper rolls are really swords
marshmallows are snow bombs
gingerbread men are aliens in disguise
every christmas card contains a secret message
and candy canes are laser guns
but thankfully
raincoats and boots turn you into a superhero.
phew!
xoxo, lisa

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last week when chrissie and i were in santa barbara we hit the beach at sunset to capture some silhouette photos. i’ve been wanting to try it for a while–but it was way easier than i expected.
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the sunset was crazy amazing and the tide was very low–so the setting was unusually dramatic.
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i brought my tripod and remote so we could both be in the pics. the sun had just set–so we had about 10 minutes of twilight before dark.
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this last one cracks me up. by this point we were having way too much fun. i can’t wait to take the boys out and try more silhouettes at sunset.
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xoxo, lisa
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first of all our winner! our randomly chosen (and lucky ducky winner) is laura kauffmann. laura, you get a $250 gift certificate to lisa leonard designs. congrats! email us at customerservice@lisaleonardonline.com.
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and our other lucky winner for the photo shoot with jasmine johnson is the1stdaughter. congrats! can you email me at customerservice.lisaleonardonline.com and i’ll forward your info to jasmine.
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we are so excited about the new heartstrings necklace. they’ve been selling like crazy, even before i had a chance to share with you!
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those who have our deepest affections hold the string that is forever bound to our hearts. the new heartstrings necklace is a simple, organic expression of deep feeling. a 1 1/4″ sterling disc is customized with two, three or four heartstrings. around the edge, we’ll hand-stamp names, words, or a date of your choice. absolutely filled with meaning.


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isn’t it lovely? it’s on sale this weekend and you’ll find it here.
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and last but not least, it’s free earring friday–all day today! you’ll get a free pair of cream, freshwater pearl earrings with any order. just make a note in the notes section that reads ‘free earring friday’. yay!
orders placed this weekend will arrive at the beginning of january. you can shop here!
xoxo, lisa

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thank you, my sweet friends for your words of encouragement. yesterday i was downtown with david, just running errands and we crossed paths with a woman who had cerebral palsy. we smiled at each other–but inside i wanted to grab her, hug her, and know her. please understand, i didn’t pity her, i resonated with her. life is hard and every one of us is broken and needy. we have friends going through marriage difficulties, job loss and other hardship. and i know you, my blog friends, struggle, too. real life is a struggle. and in the midst of that we find hope and beauty. i feel this tension every day–and yesterday i felt a little overwhelmed by the tension.
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last night was spent with chrissie in santa barbara. it was impromptu sister getaway. we talked and talked and it fed my soul. the red case pictured above is my christmas gift from her. love it! sending big hugs to you today!
xoxo, lisa

real life doesn’t follow my plan.
sometimes, real life hurts.
and i want to pretend it isn’t real.
but it is real.
and even in the midst of the hurt
real life has a lot of beauty.
there are times i have to look harder,
but it’s there
waiting to be found.
i want to live a real life
and be willing to experience the pain
and willing to look for beauty.
xoxo, lisa

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i wear a scarf almost everyday. lately i’ve been wearing scarves in more of a ‘tube’ style. if you’re a knitter, then you can just knit them that way (lucky!) but if you’re like me you have to get a little creative.
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this is the scarf i wore today. this amazing lady made it. and the clip is from anthro. i bought a few for christmas gifts and accidentally got one for myself (whoops!). i’m also loving these clipped to a scarf.
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do you wear scarves? any great tips for wrapping or knotting??
xoxo, lisa






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after church we ate some italian food and headed over to the mission to visit santa. it had been a cloudy morning but as soon as we got in line it started raining. matthias ran around and played rock, paper, scissors with daddy while david played his infamous game of ‘jello legs’ where he refuses to stand. rascal. and we spotted a beautiful rainbow stretched across the sky!
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this santa is the absolute sweetest and he spent a lot of time with david and made him laugh. he let david pull on his beard proving it was authentic. he listened to matthias’ long list of christmas wishes and hugged him multiple times. then he passes our candy canes, coloring books and lets each kid choose from the toy basket. so fun.
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our official stand on santa is ‘it’s fun to pretend’. we love celebrating with our kids but we want them to understand the real meaning of christmas. the funny thing is, although we have never told lots of santa tales, matthias is convinced he is real. do your kids believe in santa?
xoxo, lisa