October 24th 2012 (my 29th birthday...for the 16th year)

So this year when I turned 29...
I made the decision to celebrate my birthday month! I would love each day to it's fullest, I would eat coconut cake at least once a week and I would do something extra-ordinary! Let's just say...I feel like I lived up to the promise I made to myself!

She started the month out by hosting Tim Holtz and Teresa Collins at She Scrapbooks and in between those 2 amazing artists, Yvonne and I snuck in The Collins Group Show in Orlando where we learned and shared and laughed and made amazing new friends!

Coconut cake has been eaten each week and my behind is beginning to show it! :}

I discovered that I say the word A-MAZING A-LOT

I spent an amazing (there it is again) night with the Ohh Sexxy Girlfriends (OSG for short) and we once again had an evening of "wet your pants" laughs! Our alter egos even had a blast...K's passed out in her daquari and mine went face first into the banana split sundae (quite fitting).

I stopped and let go...and along the way discovered that I am leading a truly blessed life...Let Go and Let God! He has put into my life some of the most....wait for it....Amazing people! I couldn't have hand selected a funny, more inspiring and truly beautiful group of ladies and men to surround myself with!

Life changing events happen everyday...I've opened my eyes and found that life is just A-frickin-MAZING!

Livin' it and Lovin' it'
Me!

The Year of ENDS!

I've dubbed this year, "the year of ends"! Let me explain...
Wesley ends his:
high school years
marching band hoorah and MMPA's
concert band and MPA's
try outs for honors band
Buffalo Beat Cafe's
Villages Music Awards
need to have his saxophone fixed every other week
attending Friday night football games and that feeling of pride when your son marches on the field for the pre game or half time show!
high school drama
long talks about why school uniforms are a good thing
wondering whether he has money in his lunch account
being a young adult. He's now 18...I guess that makes him an adult???


Pickles ends leading a normal dog life and begins his dog on Chemo life


Jacob ends living in North Carolina 
Crystal ends living in North Carolina
Peyton ends being one 

Peyton, slow down how fast you are growing up...Geema wants more time with your infant self!


The year of ends! 


There will be new beginnings, that I am sure of...but I liked the old "ends" and I'm not ready to give up both my boys to being young men!

So it's been awhile...

here goes 8 months of updates...

Peyton turned one last July. We celebrated her birthday here in FL with family,friends and lots of birthday presents!

Peyton and Breanna share the same birthday...so we also celebrated Breanna's 16th birthday

House addition and pool remodel are finally complete...needless to say, neither were done in time for Peyton or Breanna's birthday parties...

Wesley began his senior year of high school...my where has the time gone? We spent much of our fall days and nights following the VHS Marching Band and Color Guard. They always put on a spectacular show and their sounds will continue to be music to my ears!

Crystal started Artistic Images Photography in NC and has taken some pretty awesome photos for many families

Jacob stepped up to anew position and earned his Airman First Class rank. He leaves later this year for Korea

She Scrapbooks relocated to a larger store in The Villages...we miss Lake Sumter Landing but we love our larger-new home in La Plaza Grande Shopping Center.

More of life's details later...till then, follow me on FB, Pinterest and subscribe to the She Scrapbooks Newsletter on our blog she-scrapbooks.blogspot.com

life rewound...

i find myself in a weird state these days. yea, more weird than normal! this thing we call life seems to be in fast forward mode for me. just yesterday, jacob was "ghost riding" his bicycle and wes was wearing those darn goggles around his neck while he peddalled the tractor up and down the driveway...today jacob has a family and has served in afghanistan and wes is a senior in high school with a steady girlie friend. i want to have full access to life's rewind button...just for a day! i miss the little boy smell that they kept tucked away behind their cute lil' ears!

Time Travel Reflections

I'm not really sure where time goes...one day it's New Year's Eve and the next day....well it's May 1st...Happy May Day!

I consider myself very blessed...good health for myself and my family, I've got the best of friends, I'm able to work to support my family (and my frivolous needs), there's a roof over my head, food in the frig and best of all, I'm a Geema!

I've always wanted to be a geema...I've always sensed that it would be one of the most wonderful things that you could be blessed with! Peyton is only 9 months old however she is very often on my mind and inbedded in my heart...I am very blessed

1-1-11

2010 brought many GREAT things into my life and along with theses great things came wisdom! I realize that I work too hard and play too little...
I realize that the people that are important to me may not know just how important they are!
I realize that it is inevitable that we age...the key is to do it gracefully!
I realize that I have swept certain events in my life under the rug hoping the hurt wouldn't hurt so much if I forgot about them...it didn't work
I realize that some people need to be saved; even if they don't think so
I realize that we send our children off to war to fight for things that we can't even explain...
I realize just how proud I am of my children...thinking of them brings tears to my eyes, EVERYTIME!
I realize just how much Russ puts up with from me and I love him just that much more
I realize now that I am a G-ma why people say "that if they had known that Grandchildren would be so much fun that they would have had them first!" I've said it myself...
I realized that having Pickles in my life makes EVERYTHING all better!
I realized what having a daughter is like...thanks Crystal
I realize that life is just to dang short....so my word for 2011 is SIMPLIFY!

Life as I Know it Today...

My days are always crazy busy...have several fund raisers going on for some very worthy causes! I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving and spending time with my family.

I'd like to scrapbook sometime in the near future....however I don't see that happening!

Jacob has been serving in Afghanistan since August 2010. Crystal and Peyton are staying with us and I am eating up every single minute of having them around. I feel so fortunate to have this time with both of them, seeing them grow together as mom and daughter...learning as they go, gosh I am blessed! I would have never imagined that I would get this precious time with them! Thanks Jake for the sacrifice that you are making for your SUM (this is a long lived joke in our house that oddly enough stems from the purchase of the Super Ultimate Towlet Bowl scubber. Russ is SUD and I am SUM...Super Ultimate Dad and Mom)...sorry thought I should explain!

Peyton is four months old...trying to sit up all by self and had her first taste of cereal this past week. That went ok....but she likes her pacifier dipped in lemonade much better!

Wesley is head over heals in love with Breanna! They have been a couple for 11 months so many days, so many hours and so many....well you get the just! They are very cute together... kinda like an old married couple without the old part!

Pickles has recovered from his knee surgery and is challenged with sharing his kingdom with Copper (Jake and Crystals puppy). I think they came to some agreement at their last meeting at the tree...one agreed to pee on one while the other one gets the other side...whew, problem solved!

Russ and I are doing what we do best....work , work and more work oh yea, and we are the family ATM!

I wouldn't do a thing different...love my life, miss my friends and would love to have more girl time! Let's make it happen girlies!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone...

Busy Times...

Busy times...always rushing...things to do,people to see, places to go!

I fall into this category EVERY DAY...

So this note is to all my friends:

I miss your smiling face

I miss our talks...of FOOD and everything else!

I miss seeing pictures of your families

I miss talking about children and what unmentionable thing they did this week

I haven't felt baby boy Taylor kick...and did Imiss the announcement of his name?

I miss our Twilight/Team Edward conversations

I miss scrapbooking with friends

I miss photos of the fun places our toes have been

I miss us, I miss you...my friends, my scrapbooking buddies, my life lines...

You are missed and thought of daily!

Peyton...meet Agnes

Waitin on Peyton...

Crystals due date was July 10th...and still no Peyton!

this lil' girl is establishing that she is the boss before making her entrance...this way, it is clear to mom and dad just who is in charge! And watch out Copper bear, she's takin over your spot as well!

When she decides to make her guest appearance...she will be loved and her Geeemaa is going to call her Agnes. Agnes because, that lil girl on Descipable Me is adorable..."it's so fluffy". And when I think about her going "to die" if she can't have that darn unicorn...well, that's how I feel about wanting to hold Peyton...I'm just gonna die if I can't hold her soon!

Random thoughts...

The VHS Concert Band attended the Music Performance Assessment (MPA) yesterday and walked away with a rating of "excellent" across the board. Mr. Riddle, Wesley's band instructor is amazing! Wesley is so blessed to have Mr. Riddle's instruction and enthusiam! Wesley, you are an amazing young man...don't let the woes of the world take that away from you!

Bre spent the night Friday and went to MPA's with us...Wes was thankful for her support!

I'm gonna be a Gee-ma in about 117 days...can't wait to get my hands on that lil girl, can't wait to smell her!

Anxious to get out in my yard and ready her for Spring!

Thankful for the past, thankful for the present, thankful for the future!

Thinkin' about Kristy...hopin' that all is good. Haven't heard from her in awhile and know that life is a bit crazy! Remember, don't sweat the small stuff and it's all small stuff!

Yvonne celebrated 16 years of marriage this weekend...Congradulations!

I see the light in Nita's eyes again...remember your priorities and all else will fall into place. Be the person that you want your children to grow to be...leadership be example!

So proud of She and what she has become. Thank you Yvonne, Colleen and Amanda for making my dreams come true, EVERYDAY!

Peyton Renee...another dream come true

Another dream has come true...I am so blessed!

When I was a young girl I can remember dreaming of:
A man that would love me and all my faults...Russ is amazing!
A healthy baby boy...I received two healthy beautiful boys!
A healthy baby girl...but I really didn't understand them all that well, even though I am one!

I believe that God doesn't give you more than you can handle...so I understand the part were he didn't give me a daughter. The hair bows, drama and all that pink stuff would have been wasted in a home with 3 boys! HOWEVER, I'm more than willing to figure out the hair bows and try to understand the drama that goes along with all the pink stuff for a GRAND DAUGHTER!

Peyton Renee, I can not hold you in my arms yet, but you should know that you are loved and prayed for each day! You are another blessing in my life and I can't wait for the day I get to hold you in my arms and play the silly games with you that I played with your daddy!
Love your Gee-ma

2010 Word...

I haven't had much time to blog, FB or tweet lately because I have been so busy with work, the shop and fundraising...this leads me to the birth of my 2010 word! It is important that we all know our limitations, our boundaries! So with this in mind, I set out to find a word with a more positive spin...and found BALANCE fits the bill!

Find your balance and have a healthy 2010.

Goin' Gray

Guess it's about time to bring everyone up to speed on the life and times of Steph...

I'm gonna be a g-ma (pronouced gee-ma)! The official date is July 12th...I'm hoping for a girl but will take healthy any ole day! One gray hair okay maybe two, but happy gray hairs!

Wesley is driving...at least five gray hairs with this news!

She Scrapbooks is thriving...tons of gray hairs!

Russ is well and has recovered from building gondolas'...minus two gray hairs!

Saw my hair dresser today...washed those grays right outta my hair!

YEA!

Ain't life Grand!

I can't believe it's been so long since my last blog....here's the update on our lives!


I was so happy to spend nearly 2 weeks with Jacob while he was in transition from tech school to North Carolina where he'll be stationed for the next 2 to 6 years! They found a cozy home 3 minutes from base...they aer so excited to begin their lives together!


Golf season is ending for Wesley and Russ however, Welsey is busy preparing for Marching MPA competion in November!


She Scrapbooks celebrated her Grand Opening on October 10th with the ribbon cutting ceremony just prior to opening the doors! We have put so much time into bringing The Villages a "WOW" paper crafting store that it was great to meet our fellow paper crafters and share the store with them.


What a wonderful day...my dream has come true and I was surrounded by family and friends when it happened! Life is WONDERFUL!

Rundown of the week

Monday SHE
Tuesday SHE
Wednesday SHE
guess you get the hint....alot of SHE going on!

Thanks to all of you that have given of your time to help get SHE up and going. We are so close now that we can feel the inspiration that SHE will be offering to everyone very soon!

She made her debut in the Daily Sun...great article!

Big annoucments this week! Keep an eye on the SHE blog!

Jacob came home from Texas on Thursday...and I was so so so glad to see him! Crystal, Jacob and Copper (my grand dog) are spending the weekend...love having them around!

Founder's Day Festival on Friday was a success.....

Russ, also known as GM (gondola man) is so happy that his efforts in getting this store opened are about to be complete.
Wesley will be happy to have a weekend and Pickles just wants someone to come home and play with him!
Stephanie wants, well Stephanie is looking for that EASY BUTTON that so many people talk about!

What happen to August?

Where did August go?

Did we even have a month called August this year?

I think not!

Here's the scoop on my life (apparently without the month of August)...

Jacob's graduation was very rewarding for this mom

who's doubted she did her best for her son!

Enjoyed spending time with Crystal last week...

looking forward to more quality time with her this weekend!

Wesley entered his sophomore year at the Villages High School.

The band played at the first football game last week and they ROCKED!

Golf is going well ...Russ is the assistant golf coach so the two

of them are getting in some quality son/dad time!

We took possession of She Scrapbooks September 1st.

Remodeling began the next day.

Painting will be complete tomorrow.

We move in fixtures and product on Saturday

Yahhoo, yippee, woohoo!

My last day with Farner Barley and Assoc. is this Thursday.

I move my offices to Arnett Environmental on Friday.

I've joined forces with a long time friend

so that I may continue to serve The Villages and it's predecessors.

So a sad week of goodbyes to the Farner Barley gang!

I'm on an emotional roller coaster this week...

pray that Russ and Wesley make it through the week with me!

Graduation Memories

Airman Jacob L. Vaughn

Jacob's graduation ceremonies were without a doubt a life changing experience for me! I get choked up over traditional things....weddings, funerals and ceremonies! Jacob went in a boy with little motivation or goals and has come out a man well on his way to greatness, at least in his momma's eyes!

The things that you hear about the military bootcamp are true...it is a grueling 18 hour day, with little sleep and often a very short amount of time to shovel grub in your face. They must drink 12 canteens of water a day and drink 3 glasses of water with each meal. Your pride goes out the window with dignity following behind it! Only after you have hit rock bottom do you get to believe their is light at the end of the tunnel. One of Jacob's Training Instructor's(TI) was a women...and she was about 5'-4"! Each time she spoke to anyone taller than her, they were made to bend their knees until she could look them in the eye and they had to remain in this position until she told them they could stand tall again. That stunk for Jacob because he is 6'-4"...he spent alot of time slouching so she could yell at him!

Jacob left Lackland Air Force base Monday at 3:45 AM for Sheppard Air Force Base where he will spend the next 8 weeks in tech school for munitions. Sometime around the middle of September he is set to graduate from tech school and will have earned leave.

Jacob has already put in for me to cook a couple of his favorite meals when he comes home!

He sure knows how to make his momma feel good!

Week of new experiences

This week we will flying out to Texas for Jacob's graduation from Air Force Boot Camp. He is graduating with Student Leader honors (which also allows him to march infront of his flight) and 3 ribbons for Markmanship (one for the M 16). Needless to say, we are excited to see him and tour the Lackland Air Force base. The Air Force graduation ceremonies are made up of the Airman's Run and a Coin Ceremony on Thursday and on Friday the Airman join in a parade where each Airman carries the flag from his State. It is quite the ceremony with 750 Airman participating.

Below is the Airman's Creed:

“
I am an American Airman.

I am a warrior.

I have answered my nation's call.
I am an American Airman.

My mission is to fly, fight, and win.

I am faithful to a proud heritage,

A tradition of honor,

And a legacy of valor.
I am an American Airman,

Guardian of freedom and justice,

My nation's sword and shield,

Its sentry and avenger.

I defend my country with my life.
I am an American Airman;

Wingman, leader, warrior.

I will never leave an airman behind,

I will never falter,

And I will not fail.
”

This is where I will be...it will be emotional because I know that my son has finally become a man! What a proud moment in a person's life!

A must have tool!

Have you seen this new tool...it is amazing, can't wait to get my hands on one!

http://www.imaginiscescrapbooking.blogspot.com/