Homegrown Hospitality

God..and a List.

WARNING: it is a REALLY long one...but try to read through..I think it is kinda worth reading...and there is a BRAND NEW CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT at the end!

In the past years and in the recent days, I have received comments, questions and emails from you about how "impressed you are" on how I "get things done"

Truth is...I don't always get my "creative things" done..or, shoot, my "physical" things done...or the house cleaning done..or, for the love of Pete, the laundry done...BUT (and yes, she is a big butt!) for the past 11 months I have been aggressively "Cultivating" just about every aspect of my life...for the better (at least, I hope!).  "CULTIVATE" is the word I chose for 2011 and I have been running that poor little nine lettered word through the ringer!

http://homegrownhospitality.typepad.com/homegrown_hospitality/2011/01/happy-new-years-daydoodle.html

http://homegrownhospitality.typepad.com/homegrown_hospitality/2011/01/cultivating-change-creativity.html

http://homegrownhospitality.typepad.com/homegrown_hospitality/2011/01/closed-for-restoration.html

http://homegrownhospitality.typepad.com/homegrown_hospitality/2011/01/cultivatingcreativity.html

http://homegrownhospitality.typepad.com/homegrown_hospitality/2011/01/cultivating-my-faith.html

I have been cultivating my faith, our home, my family and my art.  I have lost focus way too many times, fought anxiety and doubt more than I prefer to admit (although I just did!), experienced one too many "forks in the road" and, at the same time, seen the road as clear as a bell and felt just as confused and lost...all while keeping my center.

That, my friends...is my FAITH in action.

whew...BUT (damn big butt, sorry for the language!) I have felt motion sickness along the whole entire way. You see, I have always, no, make that "had" (because I am REALLy trying hard to work on this)1001 projects going at the same time. 

In the past few years, I have tried so so hard to change, modify, tweak...whatever it is...the way I work, but the fact is, that IS the way I work, when it comes to "art".  I think back to my high school days in Mr. Friedrich's class and I was the same way.  I think back to when I "tried" to be a college student in art class, and again, I was the same way...so for the past year, and more recently in the past few months, I have been a complete "Whirling Dervish" when it comes to creativeness while trying to stay grounded, focussed and the new truth is..

It is starting to change. (insert marching band music, fireworks, floats..)

Two of the best tools that I can suggest, that have proven to work for me is: God and a List. 

It is really that simple.

I have come to finally recognize after being told, having read, even hearing it over and over, that I, no, WE, can not do things on our own. 

duh.

We think we can "try" but the facts are the facts, so again, what is working for me is God..and a List.  Each of my days start with a little quiet time (besides the snoring dog) coffee with Hazelnut creamer and creating a list of the days "to-do's" thoughts, a doodle or two and a verse and/or quote....

and then,

light a bolt of lightning (even though it was 84 degrees) it all came to me yesterday as I "checked off" one of the entries on my days list.

Now, here is my list for today:

After you are finished squinting, trying to read what is on my lists, go back and take a look at the first picture and read what is listed first:

•         "Create a mini book from the "pile"

Now go back and take a look at the second photo, and right there, to the left and above my list is what I accomplished and why there is a check mark on photo one. Yesterday, I was on task, calm and completely 100% creatively focused.  I was not sure exactly what I was creating. but knew that I was creating in the right direction.

That again...I am proud to say..

is FAITH in action. (go ahead, you can clap!)

Note: the "pile" WAS (keyword) a HUGE avalanching pile of 12x12 papers that I have been HOARDING for way too long because I was going to, "ut um"...use them one day. Yesterday WAS that day.  It took up a majority of the day, but I used it all...and there was A LOT!!!!

whoot..whoot!

I created an entire 7" x 9.5" binder book that I am now writing an entire 12 month BASIC, EASY NO STRESS "follow along" class about the whole enchilada..  It includes what I have learned in the past year...what I have been working on, striving for and cultivating.  Like I said, I am in the middle of writing the class curriculum so it is going to be a week or two before any more details will be available, but  I can tell you that the first six months is based on:

January - Being Honest with Yourself        

February - Surrendering Your Heart

March - Owning your Talent    

April - Random Acts of Art

May - Life IS Beautiful

June - Surrounding Yourself with Friends            

The "Part One..the first six months of 2012"online class will include a weekly journal prompt posted to the closed FB page, a monthly PDF printable calendar, a monthly PDF printable doodle to color an embellish to add to your own journal based on that months theme, a PDF of journal prompts, quotes and verses based on the monthly subject,  techniques...

One of the best parts about this class is that you can do it with the avalancing pile of paper you already have...at home, in your jammies...whenever you want, wherever you are. The supplies are basic...a small binder, page protectors that fit into the binder and your basic "scrapbooking" supplies..well and your avalanche of paper.

OH..and..just in time to put on your "Christmas List" (Download Momswishlist).....The other best part about the class is the way you can purchase it:

The First Six Months for....$32.00 

or

All Twelve Months for...$40.24  

It is AMAZING what happens when a "whirling dervish" slows down...she..no, me (and probably you, too!) can focus.

More to come...and it is gonna be wonderful!!!

PLEASE NOTE: Nothing will be physically shipped to you for this class but it is IMPERATIVE that the correct EMAIL address is provided on your order to receive all class materials.  Facebook is NOT required for this class. All prompts will be posted to group and emailed weekly.

Pray All The Harder

Using my life, being honest and transparent and not "glittering & embellishing" my life is how I write, well type, on this blog, and although I would love to be able to tell you that all is ALWAYS happy, creative, clean, tidy, well and fine here at our little "home sweet home", just like your home sweet home, it has its bumps...its wonderful peaks...a few valleys with overgrown trails, walls that need to be painted, rainbows made with skittles (maybe not) BUT regardless of anything else, at the end of the day...

I know..

deep down...(sometimes deeper than others)

it will all be okay...

because God says so..

and because HE made me a mom of boys (which I realized this weekend, is what MOB stands for)

With honesty and transparency, I also have to respect the peeps and keep privacy a priority, but I will tell you that at a very late hour on Friday night, I sat on the edge of my bed, not even able to squeak out a tear, wondering what many moms wonder....."How in the world to divide myself into three"..for the peeps in the house (excluding the dang dog!), knowing what to do, where to go..when to say yes...how often to say no....enter your favorite "wonder" question here :______________________________

I share this because I KNOW...I am not alone with this. 

I could not sleep, I could not laugh, I could not cry, I pretty much was like an owl, "owling" on the side of the bed..just sitting there...when Ben called my name...

"Mooooooooooooom ???????????"

Without all of the details..he could not sleep and he wanted me to lay with him.  I told him that when I can not sleep, I pray (go figure, maybe the "owl" should have taken her own advice, duh!)....so I suggested that he lay there and talk to God...

That is when he asked me if I could "say our prayers out loud"

Prayers said....and 10 minutes later...sleep found...for the both of us.

The above doodle is on my "today list" because I have a lot of things to do...I am a nurse mom again.. In case you did not see my ER posts on FB yesterday, this MOB has a boy with a broken elbow..yep, another broken bone (MOESLB=mom of extreme sports loving boys) and I have made it clear that 2012 is our summer vacation year, so all broken bones need to be done and healed by July.

Oh...and in the midst of all of this life going on, I have been trying to stitch, paint, sew and figure out what the heck (would prefer to use the other "H" word) I should be doing next...praying for clarity...for a sign...for direction...for something for the love of Pete.....and I happily, right in the middle of REALLY TRYING TO FOCUS AND STAY ON TASK..was BLESSED with a "Whole New Doodle" for 2012.

Yep, a brand new doodle style for 2012...out with the old doodle...in with the new.

Prayers answered...just need to get everything else finished first.

BREATHE..FOCUS..PRAY...

Thank you God.

Putting It Out There..

"Just warning you: this might be a long one..but please try to read it all..."

As you have most likely noticed, I am sharing my faith on this blog more and more each day.

I have not always been like this..in fact, I was NEVER like this(I mean on "sharing outloud)...and I will always be the first to tell you that I will NEVER EVER push "religion" on you...ever.

I promise that...mostly because it has nothing to do about "religion."

For me, it is about my RELATIONSHIP with God and it is my personal choice. Again, something that I will never push on you or sway you with. Now...I may "Creatively Influence" you, but that is about it.

 
I share my faith as an example and a reminder to myself...that things, as bad as they get (and they will get really bad) will ALWAYS get better, that it is all part of the "plan."

 GOD promises that...and I am living proof, so that is why I share.

I know that I may lose readers based on the "faith" content, but I also know that I may gain readers based on my sharing.

I started this blog as a place to share my creative life, an now, almost 6 years later, it is so much more than that. It is still based on creativity for sure, and always will be, but because I have grown spiritually, creatively and relationally  and am learning how to combine them, I feel the need to share more..

BUT...(stupid big but) don't misunderstand me...

I am still that "simply complicated", totally dorky, frugalista (that really could use some new clothes but HATE to shop) girl.  The over stimulated creative girl that struggles with keeping up with laundry, organization, staying focused and balancing her weight ALL on a daily basis (and MAN..the weight thing is getting harder in my 40's.)  and I still stumble (more often than I prefer to admit!)...and sometimes, not just stumble...I fall flat on my face (and the older we get, the harder we fall.)

I am human and I live in a wrecked world.

DANG IT!

The GREAT thing is, without hesitation...I get back up. 

I can because of my faith and because I know that deep down, there is some type of lesson in my stumbles (even though I can't understand them) and I keep going...

and guess what??

YOU can do this too because

guess what??

YOU are human...

and well, YOU live in the same wrecked, dented, cracked beautiful, amazing world!

WELCOME!

and guess what??

YOU too, have to get up and keep going!

Okay..whoops..

I am pushing you, but you know exactly what I mean here...

YOU MUST GET UP and KEEP GOING!!!

Yes, I am talking to you...

but you do not have to listen to me...it might be easier to get the message from a fortune cookie:

If you fall down 7 times, get up 8 times.
- Chinese Proverb

Now if I ate Chinese food (even though I don't) I sure would love to get a cute little paper in a cookie that looked like this and say's "ut, um"...the same thing:

 
I will continue to share my faith, probably more and more, because I am walking and creative proof that giving all of your worry and stress to God changes EVERYTHING.

He promises that, I am proof and I hope that I don't lose ya!

Worth Every Penny..

I just signed up..again...for Soul Restoration 2.

It is that good.

It is worth every penny.

Here is a little tiny look at what my journal looks like from last session

 
and I LOVE my book... 
but if you do not want to spend those pennies..you can sign up to give...blood...for free..NEXT WEEKEND we are having at Red Cross Blood Drive for this lovely.

and if you do not want to give blood...please give your time to say a little prayer for this big hearted little girl..she NEEDS them!!

and for the love of Pete...take time to make something today!  I spent a few hours over at Oh, Scrap! yesterday fluffing up the store for their KTLA Live Broadcast on Monday morning and was so happy to just sit and quietly create...and have not made these roses in a very long time...

 
The roses reminded me that I have a Create @ Home Technique Worksheet for $3.00 that you can order, download and, well...create at home. Click here to be taken to the link page!

  
Today...

Make time to take time..to do something...for someone else..and for yourself!

Hi, My Name is Stephanie Ackerman**edit 2011**

WARNING....this is a LONG POST..maybe my longest ever!

This is me:

 
This is NOT me

http://spellbinderspaperarts.com/blog/2011-spellbinders-design-team-finalists-round-one/

I am on the Prima Education Team, I design red rubber stamps for Purple Onion Designs and Dies &Embossing Folders for Sizzix and well, speaking of dies, here is an example for the my shapes you can cut from felt (yes, you can cut felt) 

 
no, they are not hacky sacks, but I am thinking that if you filled them with kitty litter or rice, they probably could be (dang cute ones, too!) No, they are pin cushions...

anyways...apparently there are TWO Stephanie Ackermans in this industry and plenty of room for more, but....I am me, and she is she (a little Dr. Seuss for you!)  I don't know her (but did get a little email from her once) and I am not sure about what exactly she does...but congrats to her on being a finalist for the Spellbinders team!

and well, just because I know you are dying to know...here is a little about me:

1. I started out Stephanie Knudtson at birth (no, not this big, this was me on the 3rd birthday!)

 
and a handful of my Facebook friends knew me as like this from the Class of 1987..whoot whoot!

Although I never had a "glamour shot" photo session, I really should have with those nails and I feel pretty confident that many of my readers had highly flammable "aqua net" hair and shoulder pads.

2. I was Stephanie Tafoya for 10 years

3. I had two stinky lovely boys (well, I mean I still have them!) and they are growing up way to fast!

4. I love my home and rather be there than anywhere...except for Maui

 
at Lara's in South Africa 

 
or on the streets of Huntingdon PA.

 
5. We have a dog, "had"a rabbit, and have had the same carnival 10 cent fish for a LONG time because he swims in bottled water....apparently he is the Real Orange County Gold Fish.

5. I was once I mean, TWICE President of the US, I mean PTA, drove a mini van (which I LOVED and still would drive one today)

6. I ran a marathon , went to church, volunteered at the school, worked at the school..spent alot of time at the school..while traveling through divorce

 
7. I have traveled to many a skate park and sat in beach chairs on the front curb with the GND (girl next door) for many an hour..Now the kids are sitting on the curbs with their friends and there is no room for the moms....and the girl next door moved away...

 
8. I have worked in an office, catered and served many a drink the several of the REAL OC housewives (and have never been a waitress!) went into the category of Self Employed, baked 100's and I mean HUNDREDS of cakes and cupcakes...painted 1000's of snowmen on ornaments

 

9. In 2006 I dove head first into the Paper Crafting world after several dreamy talks and a visit from a girl..my creative life took a turn and have made the most wonderful amazing friends...

  
 

   
 

 

fast-forward...

10. Re-connected with the first boy that I ever loved (when I was 15 and we worked at McDonalds)

  

11. Surrounded by my family and my best friends, became Stephanie Ackerman in 2007

  
 

12. just a few months after that, this was published...

  
followed by three more...

 
and I did this, that and the other..here and there..traveling, teaching, designing, gluing, cutting, coloring, doodling, blogging..learning...failing, crying...laughing....

13. I call myself "god's Crash test Dummy" because sometime I do things...well, once I took the guard off of a die cut machine and wound up rolling my finger right through it (yeas, I had to roll it back out so I could be taken to the urgent care!) and yes, of course I have a picture...you don't want to see it!

14. I take GIANT leaps of faith (because I like to stay at home) and have traveled the streets of Downtown Los Angeles to find creative treasures

 
and have traveled around the world to South Africa where I met up with my best Creative Soul Friend and found my home on the other side of the globe..and did it again two years later year....

 
15. I pray ALOT...and doodle about it

 16. I am blessed to have an amazing family 

 
17. some super cool friends that get my dorkyness and love me anyway

 
18. I have some amazing friendships that have bloomed from this wacky world of paper..and my own vuvuzuela

   
19. I belong to a REALLY amazing Church  and give all the credit to GOD for my wildly creative amazing life....

and am blessed and HONORED to be working on a new project for our Women's Ministry with a super team of women that I can not wait to share...coming in the fall of 2011...eeek!!!!

20. Our house...is in the middle of our street...and it is really super fun where we live....sometimes more like a campground.  We have said "Bon Voyage" to too many neighbors (if you ask me) but have welcomed in some amazing new neighbors...and I have a new girl next door that I look forward to sitting on the curb watching her kiddos someday...not quite yet....all the newbies are sooooo young...makes me feel...really...."mature"!

  
oh yeah..I LOVE to make things....alot!

whew...that's all I have for now, because I am bored and sure that you are too....

oh, did I mentioned that I LOVE Bon Jovi? 

 

I don't know what I want to do....

Do they have a " Facebook for Dummies" book?  (I think I may regret asking that...hold your comments)

I know, I know... I have not posted, nor even opened my facebook page in a REALLY long time, therefore, I am way out of the loop on that & many things. (It is a really good thing that I don't have a farm because the fields would be full of weeds and the animals would be STARVING if not.....)

I did update my photos this morning but don't really know how to tell you where they are, but I will tell you that everything is created with NEW & OLD Teresa Collins product, duh!..well, and speaking of Teresa, here is a REALLY GOOD example that I am way out of the loop is that I did not even realize that there was this:

http://www.facebook.com/tcdesigns 

duh! so can I suggest that you go there and bookmark it (or whatever the right term is for Facebook)

and can I suggest that until I figure out how to tell you where my next class is going to be that you either go here to check out the latest

www.homegrownhospitality.typepad.com (duh, you are already here!)

or even easier, at least for right now, if you are wondering what to do this saturday, that you meet me at Oh, Scrap! for this class either from 9:15-12:15 or 1:00 - 4:00 to learn how to create these roses & make this beautiful book....so...what are you waiting for?  Do not wait too long as there are only 3 spots for the morning class and 2 spots for the afternoon class left...

oh, and yes or course, there will be cooookkkkiiieeesssss....just sayin!

okay, need to go now...back to FB to figure it all out! (feel free to send me comments on FB " HOW TO's" but don't ask me what I want to do..because I don't really know!!)