Homegrown Hospitality

Insert: Purpose

Yesterday on my way to the post office, a new sign caught my eye. I drove by the building that is the new home to the "Joy Factory", the Jessie Rees Foundation. I can NOT imagine being a mom that would be putting up a sign on a building in honor of my child, but that is exactly what a family in our community, a family in our church is faced with and is doing..and has vowed to keep their precious Jessie's dream alive.

INSERT Purpose.

I am on team NEGU..

NEGUstands for Never Ever Give Up and is something we have really started living by in our little home sweet home.  It was what Jessie did in the 10 month she fought...and ultimately lost.  It is her story, the will of a 12 year old girl that taught us to NEVER EVER GIVE UP and will continue to be a force in our house.

KEY WORD: House

So what in the world can I possibly do to help besides pray? 

I can paint and I can run.

(NOT a the same time, duh!)

What can YOU do?

1. You can Join Team Negu and help spread the word
2. You could simply "like" Jessie's FB page (they are trying to get to 200,000 likes by April 8th, which would have been Jessie's 13th birthday)
3. You could sponsor me and Team NEGU for the 1/2 Marathon by clicking that little red scrolling box up there in the right corner because I am training and will run that race for her and for all of those little love bugs that are fighting with that DAMN cancer (excuse my language).
4. You could go to Ebay and bid on this new 12x12 canvas that I just finished last night:
   

I am auctioning this handpainted 12x12 Mixed Media canvas that reads "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" Joshua 24:15.  All proceeds from this auction will be donated to the Jessie Rees Foundation.

GOD gave me the skills and abilities to paint, doodle...and run so that is what I'm doing...in between laundry, carpool and painting base boards...you know, stuff like that.

So..what are you waiting for???? I just listed the canvas on EBAY...as an auction..for 5 days and I sure hope that I did it right...

Happy Friday!

Do Something

Consider taking Rachel's Challenge as a family...

Help spread some Joy...

Think about spending some time Learning, Loving and Living on Monday nights with me (it starts this Monday..so go sign up!)

oh, and when you are at Target this weekend (because pretty much EVERYBODY goes to Target at some point during the weekend)...buy a few bags of Hershey's Hugs...and maybe some Hersey Kisses so you can make some fun little Valentines with the PDF I am going to post next week!

I would post a picture but Typepad is not cooperating..DANG IT! Note: If you use Typepad..DO NOT upgrade to Intenet Explorer 9. 

Happy Friday!  

Today's Post is...

brought to you by the letter "P"

Brave Girls POSTED my new "Faith the Chicken" doodle on today's "A Little Bird Told Me" Daily Truth.   Faith is "me" (and maybe you) and you see, having "faith" is one thing...being brave (a chicken, get it?) is a whole other story...and this "Faith" that you see in the doodle, she has decided that she wants to be brave and colorful...like a PEACOCK!!!!! and she is sassy!

P is also for PRACTICE..and in addition to PRACTICING bravery, I am also PRACTICING my coloring skills on the newest PURPLE onion stamp release. (PSSST...Trim-a-tree starts shipping tomorrow!)

and am very PLEASED with the way they are all coming out.

P is also for Pete...and as I type, I have a huge PILE of glass ornaments sitting to my right, ready to be PAINTED.  Thank you all for PLACING your orders..keep them coming...I will be painting for a few weeks...so there is still time.

and lastly..and most PROUDLY...

P is for PURPOSE...and I am soooo PLEASED to tell you that with a PORTION of the PROCEEDS made from the sales of the "Little Muslin Hearts" YOU were able to PROVIDE 10 little lovebugs with some JOY...so thank you so so much!!! 

Did As I Heard

Here in Southern California this past weekend, or at least in my neck of the woods, it was cold...wet...rainy...clear..cold..wet...rainy...clear (repeat)so I plugged in the ol' crock pot, bought a box of logs (that are still in the car!) put away the paper, turned on Lifetime (man I wish it was the 25 days of Christmas on that channel!!) and pulled out the ridiculous amount of felt that I own...

and then spent the next 18 or so hours fiddling.

I say fiddling, because that is exactly what I did...a whole lot of R&D with nothing to show but these four little puffy pin cushion pillows and a whole lot of die cut felt pieces.

After too many hours of being lost a pile of felt, EARLY Sunday morning (and I mean EARLY because I forgot the the "time changed") I "got the message" to put away the felt!!!.

so I cleaned it all up..

and put it all away.

Not sure why, but I did as I heard.

Then, as if I knew what I was doing, I grabbed my ridiculous supply of muslin fabric, black ink pads, alphabet stamps and my big HEart die....and went to work. One thing I know from this past weekend is that with our hands & hearts, together we will DO SOMETHING.

and continued to stitch pretty much the whole day (in-between loads of laundry)

As I took a picture of them this morning and then stopped to just look at them...the JOY heart really stuck out to me..so I added a new little spot over there on the left hand side called "For Sale". 

A portion of the sales of these Little Muslin HEarts are going to be donated to purchasing Joy Jars for the holidays.

To read more about Jesse Rees..go here.

To read more about The NEGU Foundation..go here.

When Life Gives You...

Scraps...

use them for good...embrace the pile and accept the challenge to enjoy what you have right in front of you...regardless of good or bad.

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

 Scraps in life have a purpose, even if you can not see it

 
"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.." Heb 11:1

so get up RIGHT NOW....put on your boots (or flip flops) and do something with what you have right in front of you.  You will find that accepting, embracing and creating will be good for your heart & soul and and will be good for the others around you as well! Yea!!

 
"Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out" Heb 10:24

 

Love.

If you want to change something and are not sure what to start with...think about healing your heart and then opening your heart because there is a whole lotta love to give and receive and you do not want to miss it!! (it is tough work but totally worth it....)

 "My words affect my heart...and my heart affects my words..."

 
Always remember to refer to these often forgotten rules of LOVE...

"Words BUILD up and TEAR down so THINK before you speak..."

T - are you being TRUTHFUL..Don't be brutally honest, be CLEARLY honest. (there is a difference!)

H - make sure that your words are HELPFUL

I - are you being INSPIRATIONAL

N - is what you are saying NECESSARY

K - are your words KIND

  
LOVE people with KIND words because KIND words transform worry into JOY (yippee!) "Worry will rob your happiness but kind words will cheer you up" Prov. 12:12

 
LOVE people with HONEST words...because honest words make us feel loved. "Speak the truth in love.." Eph. 4:15

 
LOVE people with CAREFUL words...because if we use communication as a battle field, we will always loose."Watch your words and hold your tongue.  You will save yourself alot of grief" Proverbs 21:23

 
LOVE people with BUILDING words because building words encourage learning..."Pleasant words promote instruction" Proverbs 16:21

 

Giving

–verb 1. to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation; bestow

Synonyms
1. offer, furnish, provide, supply, donate, contribute.

Today I need YOU to GIVE something REALLY IMPORTANT...and it won't cost you a dime but will make a WORLD of DIFFERENCE.

PLEASE

All I need for you to do is go here, read the post and sign your name to the petition: (and you do not have to donate to ipetitions)

 
and in the spirit of giving, here is a fun project for you, compliments of me because "Every Jar Needs a Sweater"  Download JarSweater 

 

Amazing Journey Thursday

Most of us "paper crafters" are....hoarders.  We talked alot about the definition of hoarding it on my trip last week and I guess I will be the first to step to the podium and admit it. You can admit it in the privacy of your own home.

"My name is Stephanie and I am a paper hoarder"

(this is where you say "Hi, Stephanie")

The thing is, when I come across a paper (okay, or felt, or buttons) that I really like (I would prefer to say LOVE) I buy it, in bulk, you know..just in case I want to use it...alot.

Working in the paper crafting/scrapbooking industry makes it a little tough when I like so many things from so many companies from years past when really, stores, manufactures' and designers would prefer that I "promote" the latest and greatest.  

This is where I have gotten into a little bit of a pickle because I have soooo much stuff and I am such an "equal opportunity" paper and product lover that it was time to change  my "roll" in the industry. 

I truly feel that my skills help me to coordinate this, that & the other from all mediums, regardless of what release they are from, which manufacture produced them or even if  it is paper (because I love felt...and canvas...and corrugated cardboard) 

At the end of the day, if you have created something, from the heart..nothing else really matters.

Case in point. 

I ran into an old friend at the beginning of this week.  She was with her brother and sister-in-law and introduced them to me.  She continued to tell me that he had VOLUNTEERED to head to Afghanistan for an entire year...and that he leaves tomorrow.

This where I inserted my own foot into my own mouth and repsonded "You Knucklehead!"  Here I had just been told that this man, with a family, had selflessly vounteered to return to a country ten feet deep into war..

and I called him a "knucklehead"

Luckily, our conversation diverted onto the subject of chocolate chip cookies and I did manage to hear that he mentioned that he LOVED cookies (even though all I could think of was "What the h#*! was I thinking???)

but then I really did start thinking...and baking!

Fast forward to last night where I took a few of the neighborhood boys to meet a "Real Solider" and apologized and thanked him for serving our country and the boys presented him with a gallon sized can of chocolate chip cookies....embellished with paper that I had "collected" "loved" and "hoarded" just waiting for the perfect time to use it.