Homegrown Hospitality

THINK....before we speak

The name of this post was going to be called "Holy Crap"....I know that is a terrible title....but it was the name of the email that I sent to the Timeless Treasures crew late last night AND it really did sum up my day yesterday...

"day one" of a "Week in our Life" 

Honesty is the best policy right?  but once I finished typing this post, and "re-thought" my words...I knew it was not a good name....nor appropriate (but I just had to tell ya.!!!..)

so first things first...an huge apology to Colette & Jessica....who were sitting at Timeless Treasures waiting for ME to teach them how to doodle.  While I was here at home, with rubber gloves on spraying Clorox cleaner with bleach...the two of them were nicely sitting there waiting for me...and I am again so so sorry. 

okay...let's rewind a bit....to the rest of day one in the "Week in the Life" project.

In my journaling...I talked about the beginning of the day starting with LOTS of lightning, thunder & rain...only to end up with a rainbow...and I think that was GODS way of giving me a sneak preview of the day...only he forgot to tell me that it was in reverse order....

the one thing I think I figured out from yesterday is why my traveling anxiety is gone....because I needed all of my energy to deal with yesterday (key words...HOLY CRAP)

MOOOVINNGGG ON.

I made a book to house all of our going's on and I decided that each day needs at least two pages....yesterday could have filled up three..but I kept it at two (somethings...just need to be forgotten) 

here is THE key photo from the latter "lightning & Thunder" part of the day ...

well, and of course...the laundry..throwing up produces many loads

and homework

now, I do not want to go into details about the rest of the day, I have to keep some things private...but I will talk a little about my latest studies in the series 40 Days of LOVE...and this week lesson "Loving with your Words"  The only thing is, just like the lightning, thunder & rainbow coming in reverse order....

I got a lesson opposite of "Loving with your Words"

anyways, our lesson....was all about words...and how we should use them, how we "need" to use them and how we abuse them. How we need to think before we speak and what we need to "think" about as we speak....all in all...a really really really good reminder....and then there was yesterday..when I got the prime example of how words can, well....

without using names or any of the situation....My boys and I were "thrown" under the bus, my family was accused and I was basically told by someone that I was a bad mom. Now, the unfortunate, or heck, maybe fortunate part of this...was it was all done via email....so you can imagine my heart and how fast it was racing as I read it...stunned is a good word....amazed is a good word...shocked is a good word...and well, confused was the best word.

I will say that it took me a good few minutes to respond.  Not feeling comfortable with the email, I followed with a phone call...got no answer, but left a concerning message, and then the replys came...followed by another..via email.

I will just say this...it ruined my day.  plain and simple.

let me just stop here and say that as strong as my faith is...when things like this happen, when people use words, accusations and implications...and I can not resolve it or even begin to figure out the situation....I immediately start to implode..collapse..crumble inside..which really drives me nuts and crazy...

I need to take a lesson from whoever came up with "Sticks and Stones will break my bones...but words will never hurt me" unless it was Mother Goose, because if I need to take lessons from a goose....just shoot me.

anyways...I get really upset at myself for imploding...especially because I had to wait until the school day was over to figure out what the heck this situation was all about....and just like you, I have a life to lead...work to do...and little did I know...would have a throwing up teenager only hours away...so I had or better yet, have no time for things like this.  I know they are going to happen and I just need to learn a better way to work with them.

Ya wanna know the best part...

after stewing, waiting, re-reading, trying to figure out, pacing, fretting. etc. etc. etc...once I was able to buck up, and head into this thing face to face...."talk" to the concerning parties involved....it seems that it was a "mis-understanding" and they had not gotten the whole story...prior to sending the email.

speechless.  I let something affect me the way it did...and it was a "mis understanding". I will now recap the lesson from church just a bit...(as i clinch my teeth and squeeze out a smile)

here is a good one...                                                                                                                                                                   "Watch your words and hold your tongue; You'll save yourself a lot of grief" Proverbs 21:23.  See, I did watch my words (my reaction to the the situation) and I did hold my tongue (until I could get the facts) but it made me fall apart....thus again, I need to learn from it.

don't cha hate lessons sometimes???

Here are some key reminders for all of us...on Thinking before we speak...ask yourself these things BEFORE you speak....

T-are my words THOUGHTFUL

H-are my words HELPFUL

I-are my words INSPIRATIONAL

N-are my words NECESSARY

K-are my words KIND

       

I know that the above is alot to think about before we say something...but that is the point...it will help you re-think your words...

okay...enough for today...Happy last day of September and Happy One week from today I go to South Africa...YIKES!

A week in the life...

I  want to invite all of you...scrappy...and not as scrappy..or not scrappy at all , to go over to  Ali's blog and be inspired to document "A week in YOUR Life"..

I plan to do it right here on the ol' blog...and you can follow along with me...but it is more important to do it for yourself..to capture the everyday things...the emotions...the outbreaks...the random acts...the things that maybe go unnoticed in our hustle bustle lifestyles...I am going to be incorporating my Journey of 40 days of LOVE with it.....

and here is a REALLY good verse to go along with it...

Don’t worry about everyday life..

whether you have enough food, drink

and clothes.  doesn’t life consist of

more than food and clothing?”  Matt. 6:25

Good one huh??? so get a camera and grab a journal...or forget the camera, but grab a pencil and write....take notes....big things and little things...

I am so excited that Ali is starting this challenge this week and I am doing it because it is ONE WEEK  from tomorrow that I step out of my little life box and into the BIG WIDE WORLD...and head to South Africa.  This is the perfect little inspiration project to work on this week & take with me to reflect on and share with my new friends on all of the little everyday things that occur on this part of my journey......with the anticipation of my new journey...

I say a "New Journey" because I JUST KNOW...something big is about to happen....I wish that I could yell it from the top of a mountain...but almost all of my anxiety, nervousness and anticipation for the long planned out trip is gone.  I am calm..collected..and confident...and yes, a bit excited! 

so here are some shots from my little life early this morning...

Rainbow is looking out the front...the rain cloud is out the back...a wet shead-teau....a wet walkway and my favorite kept area in the kitchen.  

oh...and one other lil something that I finished after my bible study this morning...

a little project that I will reveal on Wednesday

see you tomorrow!

13 years old...

I have a teenager.  Me...I think I just was a teenager....and now..I have one....

5:00am this morning....and I can not get him up for anything on a school day..

7:00 am decorate birthday cake

10:30 am Soccer game

 

10:31 Grandma & Grandpa arrive

11:00 am Kamryn & Delaney get to the game

1:00 Pizza..Family & Friends...and CRAFTS!!!!

4:00 Cake

7:58 pm...time for bed...Good Night Jack...Happy Birthday Jack..We Love You....

Weekly Recap..kinda..sorta..but not really.

It is FRIDAY..again!!!

man it comes quick...it seems like it was just last Friday that I was saying it was Friday...and here it is..again.  So a weekly recap of my life, creative & faith adventures is what I am going to blog about...LUCKY you!

Monday...got "the News" from Fisk's...(insert pouty, sad, fussy, confused face)  I suppose I can show you this layout that I had just finished for them...featuring Cloud 9 product, 2" circle punch, corner rounder, adhesive, 12-in-1 sewing tool ...and a cute picture of me and my "Valentine" On this layout, which is hard to see from the photo, I punched out some of the circles from the patterned paper, pierced holes around the hearts and/or circles and hand stitched them...just to add a little dimension.  Cute..huh?

and while I am talking/typing about layouts..here is one from the September kit from Polka Dot Whimsy...with a cute photo of last years impromptu super fun pumpkin carving party....which by the way..we are going to do again this year!!!

and since I am typing about Halloween...and Fiskars....look at this cute idea I think I might have made up...if I didn't, well, let me think I did...

a new way to use your rubber stamps....modeled by my super cute and ultra sassy niece...Delaney....

here is what I did....lightly..and I mean lightly, stamped out her name on the center of the t-shirt...and then stitched over it...

whew...I hope you understand those directions!

p.s I also stamped the lil HG spiders...and stitched over those too...SSSOOOOOOO CUTE..and so is the shirt!

and since we are typing about stitching and stamping...here is another little stamp and stitch project I was working on when I took the picture to show the process.....

using my very own stamps....

whew...sorry..I really got of track on re-capping the week!!

I am just going to skip over the rest of the week so I can focus on today...because the past is the past...today is the present and tomorrow is a gift ...and speaking of gifts...tomorrow is Jack's 13th (gulp) birthday! holy mackerel....13? Thirteen??????? ughh...too fast...they grown up toooo dang fast. 

Here is Jack on his first Birthday....and please hold your comments on my mad "Creative Memories" Skills...I would LOVE to spend some time going over the use of the circle & oval templates and the "Winnie the Pooh" glitter stickers...but I am almost certain, that if you were scrapping 12+ years ago, you have layouts that are very similar...so you can slap your own hand....thing is...I would never change these layouts...I love them...for the photos, the journaling & the way I saw the moments......which is precisely why I do what I do...to reminisce, remember and to just plain ol' LOVE the journey of LIFE...regardless of wherever it leads!!! 

p.s...I LOVE that as I type this...the boys are looking through the album for the 1,000th time...that is another reason I do what I do...and you should too!

have a great day!

do you know what today is?

it is the 25th...which means..3 months (90 days) from today...probably at the moment I am writing this, gifts will be opening and Christmas Day will be here!

YES!...it is 90 days till Christmas...Can you believe it?  I know...time..it is a flyin..and in my quest for a homemade & handmade holiday...each Thursday and/or Friday...I will give it my best to lead you to something homemade & handmade (H&H) that I have seen online, in a magazine, or heck...out of my own creative vault....

with that said...I still am taking pre-orders for this little gem of a book using the Teresa Collins Holiday Line, Making Memories embellishments & Bazzill paper...and of course the good ol' Bind-it-all...there are 5 double sided pages (10 pages in all) with plenty of room to add to it...You can look over in the side bar to the left for more info or head over here to order it (p.s. I think there are only 9 left...)

   

These will ship out at the first of November with a link to a full blog of directions, extra tips, downloads and giveaways...

and of course for the holidays...you will be baking (won't you??)...so I will be putting up some of my favorite recipes with fun, "green" and handmade ways to wrap them....    

does it not get you "kinda" in the mood"....should I add Holiday Music to my blog??? (don't answer that...hold your comments!) 

Just remember, in our quest for a LIFE of LOVE,this includes the holidays.  I know many people don't feel exactly like "click your heels" me around the the holidays,BUT you need to remember LOVE....even if you struggle around this time of the year...there may be  memories that make you sad...people that you miss, especially around the holidays....or...people that you don't miss..but you feel an obligation...

PEOPLE...

LIFE IS TOO SHORT....along with infusing the thoughts of a Handmade & Homegrown Holiday...I am going to try my dardest to help you & inspire you to change your attitude...and focus on LOVE.....it is time to take some "not-as-positive" or "not as good"  feelings and replace them with LOVE...even a little bit...It is TIME to make a change.....

we will talk more later!

Have a great "90 days till Christmas" day...

Creative Love

by now you all know that I LOVE to create things from paper..fabric..batter...in fact, there really is not a moment of my day that I am not thinking about making something..or actually making something...{well...there are some moments I am thinking about other things} but honestly... I spend ALOT of time creating...

and speaking of creating...I am finishing up the last touches on the projects, layouts & cards that I will be teaching in South Africa and I want to give those of you who will be joining me a little sneak peek as well as a HUGE THANK YOU  to Scenic Route & Bazzill for their extreme generosity. 

in other creative news....many of you have many questions about my magazines through CKMEDIA and while I dont have many of the answers...I do have some...

Q: Which Magazine is yours???                                                                                                                                                 A: There are 4 total....and they are all mine...One is named Homegrown Hospitality, 2 are called Home & Heart and the last one that is currently on newsstands is called Holiday Home.  You can visit the magazine site here

Q: Where is the Cookie Recipe                                                                                                                                                  A:  The Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe was featured on the "green covered" Home & Heart.  You can also find it in my RAK Doodle album over on the left hand side of this blog...just don forget to add LOVE to the recipe.

Q: Where are the downloads for the doodles and patterns that are supposed to be on the magazine site?                  A:  EXCELLENT question...and one of mine too & while I have no answer for this one, I can tell you that I have tried to load as many of my doodles on my RAK Doodles album for you to use. and YES..If you would like to add a doodle on your website/blog..please do..but send me the link so I can read your blog too!

Q: Will I be coming to "your area" to teach?                                                                                                                            A: I am working on LOTS of travel plan for 2009/2010 and will be posing those to the sidebar as they are confirmed but if you have a local store that would be interested in having me (& the Valentine, too!) come teach, please either have them contact me at homegrownhosptality@cox.net or send me the info & I will contact them!

Q: When are you going to auction off the "HEART" quilt?                                                                                                   A: My wonderful Mother-in-law and traveling companion for South Africa made a BEAUTIFUL Quilt to auction off in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month,which begins in October, so, on October 1st, I will be putting it up for auction. I am personally working on some coordinating watercolor note cards that will also be up for auction..so stay tuned!

okay my friends....That is all for now...have a super day!!!

Late Start Tuesday

I have spoiled you all with my early morning posts and lately, my posts are starting to have breaks in them and are getting later and later...sorry.

I have been saying sorry alot lately...even when....oh never mind.  The good news is...my house smells like a big loaf of banana bread...because in less than 7 minutes, it, the loaf...will be coming out of the oven!!!  It smells heavenly, and sometimes, when things are not going just right, along with lots of prayer and a chat with a good friend...the smell of something home baked makes everything better.  I can image Paula Dean high-five'n me on that one.

so, with that said...Let's talk about LOVE, shall we....because...sing it with me...

"All you need is LOVE.." duh duh duhhh duh duh....."All you need is LOVE"..duh duh duhhh duh duh.."All you need is LOVE..LOVE...LOVE is all you need...

so here is a little recap of what this past weeks lesson on LOVE was all about...

First...You cant just say "I am going to try harder" because it does not work that way...which is hard to realize, because I am the first one to say that.  Pretty much what you need to do is understand why & what you are going to do.  The doodle tells you 4 things...and here are three more important things to remember:

1.  The best use of Life....is LOVE....because it validates..it integrates...it compensates and it reverberates....plus that..it is the ONLY thing that lasts...in this life..and after....

2. The Best Expression of LOVE is TIME...which means that for most of us..we HAVE TO change the way we do things, see things and react to things...I, for one, have spent too much time on procrastination, trying to reorganize priorities and not focusing in on the principals of  LOVE.

3.  The best time to LOVE...is NOW....and not just LOVE...I mean LOVE (go ahead...sing it.."Cause I Nevah...knew LOVE like this before")

Things to think about, huh???  I wish YOU ALL...regardless of your faith, demographic location...or whatever... could do this study on LOVE...it really really really applies to the WHOLE WORLD....

We all need to LEARN TO LOVE...and gosh, there are alot of songs about LOVE.....and don't get angry with me if you have certain love songs stuck in your head ALL DAY LONG...

okay..onto Creative adventures..u-turns, detours...and well... ends-of-the-roads....

TWO WEEKS from today (YIKES!) I will be leaving for South Africa. HOLY MOLY...That alone has been part of my "IIPP" "internal intestinal plumbing problem" and the "knots under my should blades"(probably more than you needed to know about me...but hey...we are all friends here!)

and PLEASE...don't get me wrong...at the same time I am having a little more home sickness than then average bear,especially because I have not even left yet, but I am soooooo excited, blessed and grateful to be able to go on this adventure.  I KNOW it will be life changing....and that is what I am looking forward too..okay...that sounds wrong too...I LOVE my life, but I am looking forward to the experience...

just know that I am anxious, blessed, nervous, excited, grateful and homesick....(I must be a very big JOY to be around)

and it is a bummer that I need to tell you, I will no longer be apart of the Fiskars Design Team.  (insert very sad frowning face).  I won't go into details, but want to thank Stephenie, Suzanne and May for the experience. I loved working with the products and tools & am really sad that things did not work out the way I thought they would...

fortunately, my faith reminds me that everything happens for a reason, therefore I move forward with high hopes for my next creative adventure...

see you on Wednesday...

Hello Monday!!!

Good Morning and welcome to a brand new week!  I took the weekend off from blogging to relax....kinda. sorta...in a way...

Friday night at the Scrappin Table...

another graduating class of doodlers.  I mean it..."Ahhhh moment" light bulbs were goin off above heads all night long...and the angels were singing the hallelujah chorus!

I don't know if it is my new study on LOVE & relationships, but I am really starting to LOVE this teachin gig..don't get me wrong...I love all of the classes I teach, but I am not only teaching and giving, but am getting, or recognizing...making better contact, connections and relationships with these women....

I do need to work on taking compliments and I still get weird when someone asks me to sign a magazine. I don t know that it will ever change...but I am flattered, blessed and happy that you all love the same things that I do.

anyways, we had 2 great classes and decided that "what happens at the table, stays at the table"...and that you CANNOT EAT Prima flowers....You can INK them...but you cannot EAT them. 

Here are some shots of the night...  

Alright...so moving on to LOVE...

It seems that I have LOTS of new readers (WELCOME) so I am ging to "recap" my "4 Days of Love" and "The String" for you... I belong to Saddleback Church.  Our Pastor, Rick Warren, author of "Purpose Driven Life" is now teaching a new series called "40 Days of Love" based on the book called "The Relationship Principals of Jesus" written by another one of our pastors, Tom Holladay.  Each week I am recapping the lesson and using my blog to remind & inspire you to practice what I am practicing, learn what I am learning and LOVE..better & more.  Here are the links to my thoughts from last week..

Monday   Tuesday  Wednesday  Thursday  Friday

In Tuesdays blog, I had my own "lightbulb" go off and came up with the very simple act of showing and sharing love by giving and sending simple strings.  The string idea was inspired by this verse...

and my offer was..and still is...is for you to send me an email with your address and the word "string" in the subject line and I will send you a string!  Simple, yes...

but I had to complicate it just a little because I could not send you just a string...so I added a few this's and thats...so here is what will be coming your way..in honor of LOVE...

  my idea was to spread the love and tie strings around the world to share and spread love and as of today..

we have hit all 50 states..and

Holland, South Africa, North Korea, England & Canada....

But Let's keep going....I am now challenging you to do the same thing I am doing.  Talk abut it with your friends, blog about it with your readers and cut some string....or yarn..or ribbon....and share, show & spread LOVE...it is easy and most of all..it is needed. So let's pass it on.

I will recap yesterdays lesson on Love tomorrow...but here are some key thoughts via watercolor pencils...my *NEW* favorite...and let me just add in...YOU can do this...just like YOU CAN doodle....

and a few more creative endeavors to share with you before I go... first, I am working on a newsletter....but you can't read it..unless you sign up, which is easy because thee is a button up there by my picture...                                      and last week my project-a-day for September was shown on the Fiskars site...sew cute....and sew easy....and with the holidays right around the corner (less than 90 days) these fabric bags are just the right thing to hold cookies, candles, "bottles"...whatever....and they are sew EASY!!!!!

alrighty my friends...I could go on forever, but you have a life...and I have laundry, and vice versa...so go out today and make contact, spread love, share feelings....but don't just "TRY HARDER"

you gotta "DO MORE"....make a difference....Make LOVE your aim.....

and if you want a string...please email me....

see you tomorrow.

LOVE YOU!

Week at a glance...

Hello & Happy Friday...

Well, what a week...It started off as another creative, busy, inspired, homework infested, laundry mounding week in my life..and in yours...BUT it has become so much more of a week than I would have ever dreamed...before I go on...

I MUST share with you a FRIDAY FUNNY....yesterday morning after a little too much time blogging, I realized..THE KIDS ARE NOT UP...in fact..they WOULD NOT GET UP...so I decided that I would get them up by "singing" about love...and loudly...and honest to gosh it worked....

I wonder if they way I looked had anything to do with it...

okay, sometimes I KILL myself..and I am sure mom & dad are feeling "really Proud" of their 39.5 year old daughter right about now!!!

hey...whatever works...I challenge you to try it...and show me how you spread the love!

MOVING ON.....

Yesterday was also a very creative day....remember when I talked about the long arm photos...well..I told you that I would work on something...never did I think that I would work on it all day....but yes, I did...along with the things I had to do (Laundry)

In a nutshell, here is what I did...I grabbed twelve 12x12 patterned papers out of my stash...and because I have "Garanimal" style...everything coordinates...my "Bind-itAll" & chipboard, a ton of my Creative Cafe stash, Heidi Grace Chipboard letters, Making Memories sticker borders, lil Davis chipboard letters, Bazzill chipboard hearts and a bunch of random odds and ends...and made this..24 pages of "me & you" pictures taken by e..with ME in all of the photos...Ha!

I will post all of the pages in a new album over to the left..

and while we are in the creative zone...

my best scrappy pal Deena has created a super fun Card Kit over on her blog..She teaches a HUGE card class a Timeless Treasures twice a month but has developed quite a fan base in other states so she has come up with the idea of doing a little something for them.  I want to encourage you that if you are local, go on over to Timeless Treasure and sign up for one of her classes and if you are not local...well..your prayers have been answered.

and now to wrap up this Friday...a little LOVE for all of you.  I am so excited, touched, proud and overwhelmed at the response of what a simple, yet power little string can do...and I want to keep it going..we still have a very long way to go..and lots of string to share...

here is another look at the string, verse and a little something that I attached to the string...

I want to send you a string, I want to inspire you to love and I want to remind you that LOVE is a free gift and it is such a needed gift..a valuable gift...

together we are working like crazy people to spread LOVE around the entire world...with a string!  isn't that awesome???

so keep sending those emails with String in the subject line...and I will send you a string

p.s. tonight I am teaching at The Scrappin Table                              TWO classes...I think that the Prima Class is sold out...but we are doodling from 6-8 and I would LOVE to meet you....laugh with you...and give you a string...duh!

Eager Pursuit

Weird name for a blog post, huh?  well, it goes along with today's verse...inspired a doodle and is my OLD theme...

I say OLD theme because for my ENTIRE LIFE (and I am NOT KIDDING)...I have been in a hurry. First, I do not like to be late.  I just don't.  I know it will not be the end of the world if I am late...

I just do not like to.  Second...I feel like I have soo many things to do...hat I need to work at light speeds...but that has proved many times that it is not a good way to work....

example 1 of too many:

Tuesday morning.  Carly took the kids to school & I went to run...about 3/4 of an hour later and about 1/4 of a mile away from the school...I remembered...

THERE IS A PTA MEETING...RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so the eager pursuit began to get to the school....In between waiting  for stop lights, crossing guards and NOT get hit by a car...and I made it...I was stinky...sweaty ...and

I WAS REALLY REALLY LATE...and I was okay with it. (THAT IS A GOOD FEELING...not the stinky sweaty part)

I honestly have to say, that between 30 years ago until about 5 or so years ago, I would have FREAKED OUT. Not Tuesday and not today.  Things are changing, priorities are being fined tuned and my eager pursuit for life is evolving...and I like to use this blog, my creative life and portions of my personal life as a spring board for you to be inspired..and reminded.

so...now that I am done with my little commentary...we will move on,

but still talking about being in a hurry...

because this morning, I was going through my photos on the computer and I began to delete the ones I don't need. When I am working on a project for a publication, on line article or for a class, I take a trillion photos of the project I am working on to get that one good shot.. and then I never delete them. 

As I was deleting them, I started to look at the pictures I have taken in the past 3-4 months and realized that in my "eager pursuit" to take photos..I was not really looking at them...um...helllooooooooo????????????

Why am I taking pictures and not looking...or printing them? 

so, today, after the kids get to school and I get my run in...I am going to spend some much needed time on sorting, loading and printing photos...and just like everyone else..I am only in 1% of the photos....that needs to change to....I guess that is why GOD gave me long arms..so I can get shots like these:

 

okay...I am going to stop there...but you can tell that I use my GOD GIVEN ARMS to take lotsof these "You & Me" pictures and as I was loading onto this, I decided I am going to make a book about them...wanna do it with me??? More on that...tomorrow...

for now, just wanna leave with with today's verse and doodle...

"Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire love.  Make it your aim, your great quest.." 1 Cor. 14:1

again...faith..or no faith (which I hope IS NOT THE CASE!!!!!) regardless of anything else, today's verse applies to EVERYONE.....and can you just imagine how lovely it would be it EVERYONE practiced this verse...shoot...we'd have arrows of love shooting all over the place...

and one last thing about LOVE....I will update you on the strings in tomorrow post....but let me tell you this.....49' feet of string has now been send to 29 states..and...Canada..South Africa and Holland...

let's keep going.....

and if you do not know what I am talking/typing about...please read the last three days of posts to join in with all of us in wrapping up the big ol' world with strings of