Homegrown Hospitality

Ya know...UPDATE!

we have had light blue, dark blue, black and multi-color casts..and today we are really really really PRAYING that we do not have to pick out another color...but just in case, I think the color of choice is black because white and silver pens show up really good.

Stay tuned and keep on prayin.....

Update...Good News and Not-As-Good-News...

The good news is NO Cast!!!! Yippeee....

The Not-As-Good-News is Ben has to wear a splint for 6 weeks...with crutches for four..and no sports..and if you know my boys...yikes...and Ben is going to miss playing in the State Cup in three weeks...but we will be caravaning with the team to cheer from the sidelines (lucky them!)

at the end of the day...it could have been worse so we are thankful !

and I have let it be known LOUD AND CLEAR that this summer we are going on a Maui vacation so nobody in my house is aloud to do anything the 8-10 weeks leading up to our departure!

Thoughts For a Sunday

We are made to work together for the better...one is no fun and two may get the job done, but when you have a bright funky bunch...that changes everything!!!    "...and let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds"
                                                                                                                                 Hebrews 10:24

 

Delay.

WARNING: THIS IS A LONG ONE..GRAB SOME COFFEE.

Don't fight the "Delay" that comes your way, sometimes more often than you wish. The delay fuels our endurance..and we all need endurance.

There is a reason for roadblocks, detours and forks in the damn road... so just remain at a safe forward speed, don't keep looking back and for the love of pete, don't spend too much time trying to "figure it out"....Just stay centered, focused, true..do the right thing, keep going and DO NOT LET THE DIFFICULTIES AND DISCOURAGEMENTS GET YOU DOWN!!!!

NO..NO..NO!!!!

I have been PRACTICING the above statement for several years...yep years...and my growing faith has proven right..

every..

single...

time!!

and although I hate to admit it, up until just a short time ago, I was always "amazed" when things came to fruition and best of all...made sense.

Now..things are different for me...

Something finally clicked that was there all along...duh! 

I should not be amazed because God is good...ALL THE TIME ..even when things are really bad, really sad and/or really confusing....

and for finally "getting it" I am blessed.  As my faith grows, I will continue to experience and learn  how GOD works and share it with you.

Now wait...

In no way does this all mean that I know everything, have answers or can recite a verse at a drop of the hat...nor does it mean I will "handle things" smoothly (I am human and a woman!)  nor will there be anymore roadblocks, speed bumps or forks...it probably means that there will be more...(again, we are human and we live in a very broken world) but I rely on my FAITH to get me through it and I love to create better things from broken parts, whew.

So anyways, all of that blah blah blah that is above from me, I have incorportaed in my year-long Scrapbook Life Journal class..and because of the overwhleming response, the amazing comments and the emails..I have extended the registration until the end of this month.

I do not have all the answers, God does, duh...but when we all work together for the better...we can make huge strides, build our endurance and make things better...one step at a time.

I hope you will join me..to read more about the class and register, click here

 

 

 

Love..Learn..Live..

2012 is my year to practice...loving..learning and living...

How 'bout you? and think about this: "If 21 days of doing something creates a habit, can you imagine what "40 Days in the Word" will do?"

I know!

A brand new study is launching at Saddleback at the end of this month called "40 Days in the Word" and I am kinda excited to be doing a few things involving the study!!!.... 

First, click here to register  and join me in Saddleback Church Worship Center Monday nights from 6:30pm -8:30pm starting January 23, 2012 through March 12.

Now, don't sweat....if you do not live in the area, I am going to be working on a weekly post here on the ol' blog to recap each week so that YOU can follow along...details soon...and to tie in a little creativity (duh) I am in the midst of typing up a little tag tutortial so that you can create 40 days worth of verses....

Who's ready to love, learn, live and PRACTICE Faith with me???

Practice:Stitching

in honor of my 2012 word "PRACTICE"..I have been practicing my stitching and not only practiced "French Knots" yesterday..I finished my first "Doodle-Gone-Stitched-Scrapple-Stitchery"

 What once upon a time was a doodle...

became an embroidery pattern on muslin

and then a work in progress

and now done!

Yippeee..and now what do I do with it..not sure yet...but I will figure something out (I have a couple ideas!)

Right now I just like to glance at it about 150 times a day! 

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!

Happy 2012

looking forward to big steps, leaps of faith and a year long creative journey!

Hello 2012!