Homegrown Hospitality

Practice:Contentment

I sat down last night, opened up my little "Smash" book and what did I find?  A lovely little something that I doodled and never shared. 

I am pretty sure that I was inspired by a quote I found on Pinterest and it says alot about our little home sweet home...

 

It really does not matter the size, it is what is inside (not the furniture, duh!)  and even though we live in close quarters 99% of the time, I love our little home sweet home (and I bet they do too, even though they think having a two story house and a three car garage would be super cool.) I say "it would just be more to clean!"

Today, be content with what you have and remember, life is not about things.

       "It is better to be satified with what you have than to be always wanting something else" Eccl. 6:9

 

Having a Hard Time

with time flying too fast...because it was just yesterday that my boys were little and needing their momma help them

fast forward 8 or so years...

and with my favorite (not cutest) pair of shoes on (and me not caring a bit..)

This momma still helps...

MOB..mom of boys.

2011 Recap

If we had done a 2011Christmas card (which we didn't) the photo would have looked something like this:

and had we wrote a letter to go with it, it would have said something like this...

2011 was a great year jam packed with ups and downs, back and forths, side to sides and many happy and sad moments for all of us. Because we have each other, amazing families and wonder friends, we are able to take the good with the not so good, find the better, brighter side of things and celebrate when the good times roll..and for that, we are blessed!

2011 was full of broken bones, trips to the er and to the orthopedic for BOTH boys (mom of boys!) and to the dermatologist several times for mom who has loved the sun for too many years...(no photos!) but we are all 100% healthy and blessed...and have slings, braces and crutches if you need to borrow them!

2011 charted 100's of hours on the soccer field, at the track, at the beach, with bikes, running shoes, cleats, boogie boards, surfboards, skim boards, helmets...you name it, we got it and something is always in motion and we are all blessed to have year round weather to support this active family...even with occasional downpours that come out of nowhere (well, the sky..but you know what I mean!)

2011 was a great year but we are ready to say farewell to it and welcome in another with the same hope and faith that we rely on each and every day!

Merry Christmas and Cheers to 2012!

John, Stephanie, Jack & Ben...and coco, too!

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.

Live in the Moment

You know why Kamryn is smiling??? (besides the fact that she just turned 10) 
because Auntie Steph made her a birthday cake and let her eat it from the cake plate!

 
Today, create Joy and Live in the moment!

"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it"Psalm 118:24..and eat cake from the plate!

Things To Do...

I may be one of the last people on earth that NEEDS to write things down (and then cross them out) on paper vs. typing info into my "smart" phone(even though I have a new phone and a super cool little stylus to poke the screen with..hey,it is the little things for me)

I suppose I could choose to switch over to "smart" skills...but, I choose NOT to.  As Bobby Brown once sang..."It's my Perogative" (and don't hate me if you sing that song today.)  Three cheers for all of you that rely on your phone...Personally, I just have visions of me once accidently throwing my phone away, into a empty trash can that had water in the bottom...

the only GREAT memory about that is that Tim tried so so hard to be my super hero and save the phone....thanks buddy, I appreciate your trash can diving skills to this day...even though the phone ultimatly died.

Anyways...my 2011 Day-timer only goes to July so I COMPLETELY relish in the day that I "GET" to go purchase my new calendar inserts (I know...just hold your comments!).  Last week I had not purchased my inserts when I realized that I was hitting the road, so I bought a little "purse sized" calendar from Wal-Mart for like $4.94 that has become my go-to-handy-dandy-journal-doodle-calendar and I am highly suggesting that YOU go get one...oh, and treat yourself to a few new felt tip pens while you are in the office supply/stationary aisle and tuck it into your bag. 

This is a great example of RANDOM CREATIVE...Use it for notes....for ideas...as a journal...heck..use it as a calendar (duh) but use it...and enjoy it.  It may just be the best $4.94 you spend!

No need to thank me...it is my pleasure!

Summertime is

the perfect time to throw the tent in the car...

 grab the goggles, trunks, towels...and sunscreen

 
 well, and of course the stamps and markers

and head down the road to meet grandma and grandpa and the girls for a night of camping
  
and back to home sweet home in less than 24 hours!

He...

is 15.90 years old just made his first big purchase.

Nope..not a car (praise the Lord!)

..a skim board.

When I looked in on him the next morning, all I could see is him being 1.90 years old...sleeping with his winnie the pooh...

 
He is growing up too fast and this will probably be one of the LAST times his momma "gets" to drive him and his friends to the beach, let alone, stand off to the side to take photos.  (hmmm...wonder what he is looking at...or better, WHO he is looking at cuz he ain't lookin at me!)

It is all going to fast...and I am really try to remain calm and soak it in...from underneath the dang umbrella!

 

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? 

 

Today

is one of my most favorite days and I am certain that if I could bottle up the emotions, energy and excitement from June 23, 2007 and sell it...I would be a BILLIONAIRE. 
 
Happy 4th Anniversary Babe..I LOVE you (I am pretending that he is reading this!!!)

 
Thinking I should cut my hair short again....