Homegrown Hospitality

This, I Have Seen...

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Be Careful What You Ask For...

Move over Martin Scorsese...

What you are about to witness will no doubt be the best 15 minutes and 38 seconds you will have spent in a long time...and I am just saying that!

After my ridiculous set up, mildly humorous and completely breathtaking homegrown video that some of you saw in TrueScrap2011 a few months back,

  
I have been getting requests for more videos..and well, while I now have a tri-pod, this video took just over 15 minutes to record and another 15 HOURS (give or take an hour) to edit, figure out how to add text, upload, download, reload...

whatever...

here is is...my 15 minutes of mild fame...I am thinking BRAVO may contact me after this one so I should consider getting a new head shot.

 

I promise to get better in the future...I think.

Life is Terminal

Warning....this is NOT a creative post today...sorry!

Grab a cup of something, maybe even a kleenex, take a seat and read on...This has taken me four days to write, re-write and edit....sorry, but this is "one of those posts"...Just a reminder of the things we already know, just sometimes forget to remember...and oh, and hey...remember..I am just the messenger.

Last Tuesday, I was at a meeting with some amazing women making some amazing plans. Eeek!!!  We spoke about several topics and one of the things that came up was the fact that if one of our friend's called at any time and said that they needed us, regardless of anything else, we would drop everything and run to them...(Julie, that was you that said that, remember???)  Our conversation continued on with that topic and we all agreed & wondered WHY we do not do that very same thing for God...drop everything and do whatever HE asks...

The VERY NEXT DAY...I got "that call" from a friend and I was shaken because of the conversation for the very day before..Yikes!  

Sadly, three days later we were attending a funeral for a very young women.  Throughout the funeral service, we were reminded in scripture that we all die and we were reminded that even though we know that, we often take life for granted.  When a death occurs, especially when someone is young, it stuns, shakes and stops us in our tracks and we wonder WHY?

We forget, or better, just simply block out the fact we all know.... Life is Terminal.

During the service, as her dad gave a loving and beautiful Eulogy, he used the word "Mystified" to describe this unbearable and sudden loss.  It shook and startled me when I heard him say that because again, just the day prior, I had written an entire post about how God is not Mysterious.  As this completely heartbroken dad spoke, I could see, feel and understand his confusion. The loss they are feeling is what I believe we all would agree to be the worst thing we could ever feel. 

To see someone in so much pain, distress and confusion just makes me want to drop everything to help them, to do something for them, to ease the pain for them and it is growing by the day.  Because I have not personally gone through a situation just like theirs, I have no real idea of what this family is going through, but because I am a mom, I feel I have a crack in my own heart for the loss of their child. 

Now, four days later, I still feel the need to do something and there is nothing I can say nor probably even do for them right now besides pray. In the days, months and years to come, there will be time to help...but what do I do?? What do any of us do?? and I was reminded (not in that "Lightning and Thunderous God voice) to grab my overflowing handy dandy Saddleback binder of notes to seek scripture and figure out what I can do...and of course, found it. 

I thought I'd share it with you because we all need to remember that Life is Terminal and we need to be ready at anytime to help because that is what GOD has wired us to do....STOP what we are doing...Drop everything else (because we will be back to pick it up) and HELP where needed...when need...at any time...unconditonally.     

 

 

Random Creative:Mini Books

I have rekindled the fire of my love for creating mini books...thing is, I have NO place to stash one more of them so I am pretty sure I will be passing this off to one of you...

 
I think that one of my best "creative skills" is mixing and matching this and that, you know, like Garanimals.  My thought is that as long as everything coordinates, then there will never be a problem with creating something, either planned or on a whim (which sometimes gets me in trouble with staying focused)

anyways...I knew that as soon I got my hands on the brand spankin' new "Blissful" line by Authentique and mixed it with my ever growing stash of Prima...it would be a perfect match!

  
So, do you want this canvas heart mini book???  Here is what you need to do to get your name into the drawing...

Go here and "like" them....

then go here and check out all of the amazing new lines that will be debuting this week at CHA in Chicago (nope, not going)

and leave me a comment on what makes your life blissful....

 

"Save the Date"

This was me in September of 1972.  The reason I know is because my mom wrote the date on the back of the photo.

Besides the super cool HAND CUT letters that were ironed on to my t-shirt by my mom (and we still have the shirt) and that amazing Carol Brady mullet I am sporting (because apparently I never kept anything in my hair)

I am creating. (duh!)

GOOD TIMES!

Today is July 11, 2011.

Make it a point to "Save the Date",

Take pictures...Capture moments....and write the date on the back of the photo (even if it is digitally printed on the back, the hand writing means almost as much)

Today...

                                                           Canvas by Prima/Sticker words by Authentique

Change is possible...

 
 

Random Acts of Forgetting

The definition of the word MYSTERY: anything that is kept secret or remains unexplained or unknown (The word & concept should only be authorized for use in Scooby Doo cartoons and for Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys books..I am dating myself!)

anyways...

We need to stop saying that God works in "Mysterious" ways and I will be the first to tell you that I say it all the time!

He works perfectly, in sync' (not the group) and according to His plan

...okay, so we do not know his actual "plan" but what we do know is that "everything happens for a reason"...and I know, I know, that seems like such a generic "answer" but it is true.

His words are not a secret...they are all in black and white (and sometimes in Red!)

His acts are not unexplained and definitely not unknown...

Therefore, again..

we can not say He works "Mysteriously"

I think we ALL know this...yet sometimes, when things happen that we cannot explain or things happen that we do not understand...or something occurs and we "see the bigger picture"...it dawns on us that we had simply just forgotten I guess, which is a pathetic thing to say.

Again, guilty of it myself....

it's okay, you can admit it in the privacy of your own home (or office, just do not let your boss see you reading this!)...I will be the example here...

I think that "the phrase above" probably makes God a bit fussy when we say or think it because it is all out there for us to know, learn, practice and believe for the Love of Pete! and I am thinking that because He is such a funny God sometimes, He might even use the word "duh!" when we do think or say it...He probably shakes his head and thinks "What is it going to take to get them to just believe me"...

The best thing is..He knows us...and forgives us for our Random Acts of Forgetting...

whew!

So what do you do when you don't know what to do...what to say...where to go..or even how to put one foot in front of the other and just keep going....

you rely on your FAITH ..duh! (that was me saying it)

Believing when I do not see something.

Obeying when I don't understand something (gotta have rules!)

Persisting when I really don't want to (Judy Moody!)

Giving when I don't have it to give (and it does not have to be monetary)

Thanking before I receive it

and

Trusting when I don't get it.

well, and PUSH...

 amen!

Don't Panic...

 
Oh, don't panic...

Panic-ing never helps anything..this stuff pictured above is for Christmas 2012...but I will tell you that I am heading to Grove's in a few weeks to kick off the Holidays 2011.... 
 
and I would LOVE to see you...I mean..look the Grove's building...

 
I have visions of occupying the third floor of this building one day where Staci and I will hold creative retreats, classes...hey, you never know..dreams do come true you know!

 
anyways, I would love to have you join us at the end of July...so go on over and get the details of the classes here...

oh, but wait..DON'T PANIC...

because like I already reminded you, panic-ing never helps, duh...Staci & I were thinking...what if you can not come...what if you are on vacation (as if !) or what if your cousin's neighbors are going to be in town and want to come by for a visit..or maybe you have had a fly fishing expedition planned for two years on the same weekend..

gosh, we should have kits for you...

Now, like I said, I would LOVE to see you at Grove's because seriously, I have so many things I want to show you and have scheduled so much free play/create time within the class that I would  hate to have you miss out on the creative mess we are going to make...

but,

life gets in the way...and we know that, so...just for you..a kit only option...

 
Kit Only Information  

Just a little message....

You can have a thousand maps to where you plan to go but, if you do not have a compass to navigate you...you will get lost...

duh.

"A man's heart plans his way(map) but the LORD directs his steps" (compass) Proverbs 16:9

No need to thank me...I was just reminding myself and thought, hey, I am just the messenger with a little reminder and thought I would share it with you!