A Garden Full of Their Names
NAPERVILLE - WHEATON - GLEN ELLYN - ELMHURST - GENEVA - ST. CHARLES - BARRINGTON - BARTLETT PHOTOGRAPHER
by Alicia Staley Johnson
Hello my friend!
This week at Alicia’s Photography felt a little slower in the best way—one senior session, a headshot, and the sweetest little cake smash.
And I have to say… I didn’t mind the slower pace one bit.
It gave me time to catch up in the garden, which, on a property this size, really just means trying to stay one step ahead of the weeds. We made a pretty big dent this week, though, and that alone felt like a win.
But the best part of the week?
Time with my grandsons.
We had a sleepover at Mimi and Papa’s, followed by a slow, easy morning—breakfast in the vegetable garden, lots of riding around on his kid-sized tractor, and helping Mimi with the flowers (which mostly meant picking them).
I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end the week and lead into Mother’s Day.
And to all the mothers reading this—whether you’re in the thick of it or watching it all unfold from a different season—I’m wishing you the most beautiful Mother’s Day.
Soft Focus: The Mothers Who Came Before Me
Mother’s Day has changed over the years.
For years, Mother’s Day meant a full house.
My mom. My sister. Me. Our kids all celebrating together.
The celebrations look different now.
The gatherings aren’t as simple to coordinate.
There are more of us—more mothers, more lives, more directions being pulled.
This year there won’t be a big Mother’s Day celebration.
But one thing has remained steady.
Every year, I plant a tree.
Sometimes it’s a gift from my children.
Sometimes it’s one I choose for myself.
But each is carefully chosen and each one is given a name.
Not just any name—
their names.
Patricia.
Mildred.
Evelyn.
Edna.
Mary.
Edith.
The women who came before me.
My grandmothers. My great-grandmothers. My mother.
Women whose lives looked very different from mine…
and yet somehow, live quietly inside of me.
I don’t think about it all the time.
But there are little moments where it shows up—
in how I care for things, how I love my people…
and I know it didn’t start with me.
Because motherhood doesn’t begin with us.
It’s passed down.
In the way we nurture.
In the way we show up.
In the way we love, even when we’re tired.
In the things we do without realizing we learned them from someone else.
These trees… they’ve become my way of honoring that.
Each one rooted in the ground, growing year after year—
just like the legacy of the women they’re named after.
And I know someday, I’ll run out of names.
There will come a time when I’ve planted them all.
When every woman who came before me has a place in this garden.
But I’ve started to realize something…
That’s not the end of the story.
Because just beyond those trees are the next ones.
The women who are in it now. My daughter. My daughter in-law.
The ones raising babies and building families and figuring it out as they go.
The ones who will shape what comes next.
Maybe one day, someone will plant a tree and give it my name.
And the thought of that…
it stops me for a moment.
Because it makes me wonder what I’m passing down.
Not the big things.
Not the things that get written down or remembered out loud.
But the quiet things.
The way I loved.
The way I showed up.
The way I made people feel.
That’s the legacy.
Not just in photographs.
Not just in traditions.
But in people.
So this Mother’s Day, while everything may look a little different…
I’ll be out in the garden.
Planting something new.
Honoring what came before.
And quietly hoping I’m growing something that lasts.
My mom Patricia-Lilac tree
My maternal Grandmother, Mildred- Dwarf Cherry Tree
My Paternal Grandmother, Evelyn- Peach Tree
My Maternal Great Grandmother, Edna- Kwanzan Cherry Tree
My Maternal Great Grandmother, Mary- Fig Tree
My Paternal Great Grandmother, Edith- Red Maple Tree
WHAT I’M LOVING THIS WEEK
Inspiring Follow: @Chicksandveg
If you’re in a garden mood (and I very much am right now), you’ll love Instagram account chicksandveg.
It’s a beautiful little corner of the world—happy hens wandering through the garden, rows of colorful vegetables, and blooms that feel like they belong just outside a countryside cottage.
She shares simple, helpful advice for growing your own vegetables and flowers, but in a way that feels calm and approachable… never overwhelming.
It’s also the kind of account that makes you start thinking… maybe I need chickens.
Also…I may have already told my husband he’s going to lose the battle on getting chickens.
We all know how this ends, don’t we? Because honestly, chickens feel like they’re coming whether Dan is ready or not.
Honestly, it feels very Our Cozy Compound—a little garden, a few chickens, something growing, something blooming, and life happening just outside the back door.
It’s the kind of account that makes you want to step outside, get your hands in the dirt… and maybe add just one more thing to the garden.
What I’m Loving: Heading Prints
Okay, this one is just fun.
I came across these adorable skinny scarves from Heading Prints—and of course I was immediately drawn to the one with all the little vegetable illustrations (because, well… it’s garden season).
They’re made from vintage book illustrations, which makes me love them even more. Like the kind of pages you’d stumble across in an old European garden book and wish you could keep forever.
And the quality is so good—soft, lightweight 100% satin, but not flimsy at all.
I may have already ordered one… and fully plan on tying it onto my farmers market basket because that’s who I unapologetically am now.
It’s one of those little things that just makes everyday life feel a bit more charming.
Local-ish: Le Cochon
We tried a new spot for Mother’s Day weekend and honestly… it felt like a little trip to France without the plane ticket.
Le Cochon Wine Bar and Bistro is tucked into the cutest historic home in downtown Geneva, and the whole place just has that cozy, charming bistro feel.
Dan ordered the Beef Bourguignon and I’m still thinking about it. Melt-in-your-mouth, rich, so good.
I went with the Tuna Niçoise salad, which was fresh, light, and exactly what I wanted on a spring evening.
And the cocktail… I ordered a Midori Sour and I think it might be my new favorite drink.
Also, the crème brûlée? If I could have ordered 12, I would have. It’s absolutely the dessert you won’t want to share.
It’s one of those places where you sit a little longer than you planned, slow down, and just enjoy being there.
We will absolutely be going back… probably sooner than later.
201 S 3rd St. Geneva, Illinois
with love and light,
Alicia Staley Johnson
of Alicia’s Photography
If this newsletter made you smile, inspired you, or gave you an idea, pass it along to someone else who could use a little joy in their inbox too. And if it was forwarded to you, you too can receive the newsletter by subscribing here scroll down to “Stay In the know”.