stacie's sacred space

11 best things about 20eleven

 

it's the countdown to twenty12!

 

first i have to reflect on 20eleven.

there were a lot of good things.

here are the best!

11. baking cakes ... more than i've baked in my whole life, i made this year.

10. publishing my first youtube video, "summertime." thank you so much, justin for helping me to create that imovie.

9. finding peace through prayer. having the focus on that word for this year was a great reminder during those times i was breathless and overwhelmed.

8. eating less carbs is good for me. i lost and found pounds learning this lesson. sigh.

7. taking the artist's way class ... creativity is exercise for my soul and deepens my spiritual life.

6. jogging, walking, and working out is good for my body, mind, and heart.

5. joining the greeting ministry. finding ways to serve brings us so much joy!

4. buying rain boots ... man, oh man, did we ever get soaked this year! it was a fun year to play soccer in the spring and the fall with all this rain, and it didn't just come during soccer seasons. we had plenty of rain through the winter, spring, summer, and fall. i think we set records here. rain boots help me look at dreary days differently. they are awesome for splashing in big puddles!!

3. getting a fortune cookie with the fortune, "the one who laughs lasts." (and actually remembering to laugh!)

2. signing up to be discipliship room mom for joey and janie. i was begged, and i said yes. it's good for me.

1. listening to and learning from people who cross my path on this earthly journey ... their stories, beauty, love, generosity, and thoughtfulness inspire me. i'm a better person because of all of you!!

 

 

 and one more: joey making his first communion ... grace is awesome!!!

okay, now i need to get back to our new year's eve homework.

we are having a heck of a christmas break!

it's awesome here at 391.

something was missing this christmas

these just aren't the same as the cookies grandma feeman always made at christmas time.

this is the baking i did at christmas this year ... we had to have cookies for santa, ya know?

she made shortbread and molasses cut out cookies that were also iced beautifully.

i am bummed i don't have a picture of those.

she worked hard on them!

i know for sure she put her whole heart into baking and decorating them for all of us.

she always had them ready on christmas eve for each of her boys' families.

i am grateful to have been given one of her cookie platters though.

this is the first christmas grandma feeman hasn't been around.

i missed her a lot!

i wondered what christmas must be like in heaven.

her spirit lives on in each of us she touched though.

she was very generous, loving, and thoughtful.

i learned a lot from her and look forward to being with her again someday.

spontaneous and quick

in the summer time, my friend, theresa mentioned that she would love for me to take pics of her family.

i'm looking for people to practice on besides my own tribe.

although i have so much fun taking pics of them, they get sick of me playing that role sometimes.

so this awesome weather and the beautifully decorated barn down the street, made me give theresa a call on our way out of town for one of the christmas celebrations.

i told her that i'd be around christmas day all day in my jammies and would take their pictures after mass if she wanted to meet me at the barn down the street.

we knew that the stars would have to align to make this happen though.

they did!

check out what i captured.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

thanks, r family for being my models!

you guys made my job easy.

 

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spontaneous and quick ... that's how i roll.

so now i can't stop dreaming of my life work.

ideas, goals, it's all so exciting especially as a new year is about to begin.

as if there wasn't enough excitement

our little girl lost her first tooth on christmas eve day!

yes, right after lunch i ran to the shower to get myself cleaned up for mass and our evening festivites.

and maybe i was snatching a little alone time to take a few deep breaths too.

while i was shaving my legs, janie ran through the door with a paper towel (which had a little blood on it) and a tiny tooth inside of it.

she was so excited to say, "mommy, mommy i finally lost my tooth!"

there went my alone time.

the tooth fairy and santa came the same night.

magical!

i love it.

 

 

she was making all kinds of crazy faces for me.

 

 

and now the one next to it is wiggly!!

fun times.

there's no place like home

on christmas morning.

i love the story i captured in that one little picture.

if i could add snow to this picture it would be my own perfect little snow globe created with my new fisheye lens!

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when i told the j kids this was the best christmas eva, joey replied, "momma you say that every year."

this one was tops!

it was simple.

it was just us.

it was filled with surprises and laughter.

reading the note from santa.

 

ready to open their gifts.

 

the blurry part of the day!

 

a little help from big brothers is always nice.

 

ready for hot chocolate and jesus' birthday breakfast.

 

we read all about it too.

then i put the camera down and just enjoyed the day with my people!

 

and somebody played with momma's new tripod too.

 

it surely was a very, merry christmas.

now we have a week of downtime for some work around the house sprinkled with a lot of playing with new games and toys, maybe some rest and some good old hanging out together.

it's a good life we have.

the message

"do not be afraid; for behold, i proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. for today in the city of david a savior has been born for you who is the messiah and lord.

...glory to god in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

- luke 2:10-14

 

i've done a lot more lectio divina (praying the scriptures) this year.

it has been a way of prayer that helps me to listen from a place in the depths of my heart.

thank goodness i have amazing guidance.

god's word is comforting.

yesterday when we read the birth of jesus according to luke, i enjoyed seeing the dates and highlighting in my bible.

i always love coming across the message "do not be afraid."

i don't think i can hear that enough in my life!

fear creeps in so often.

he takes it and brings me to peace and joy.

god's word is a gift i get everyday.

that painting in the picture above made by my friend kellyn was a gift this christmas too.

it was perfect for our little christmas altar keeping us centered on christmas day!

merry christmas

from all of us here.

it means a lot that you stop by for a visit (even virtually :)).

we have an awesome home team!

thank you.

we hope that your christmas was full of laughter, relaxation, excitement, joy, and the true peace of christ.

insta kids

we just got back from spending a couple days celebrating christmas with my side of the family.

eight kids, seven adults, lots of laughter, a little sleep, loud noise, excitement, and many blessings.

i ran around this morning as the iphonographer capturing the kids.

janie and anna like playing baby dolls together.

 

joey and jack constantly competing.

i love capturing their big boy smiles.

 

jeffrey moves to much to be paired up with anyone.

he jumps from group to group playing or wrecking things ... smiling or crying, ya just never know!

 

these two just put big gumballs in their mouths when i got to them.

they played so well together that johnny told me he wished emma was in our family!

 

sweet baby rose in the arms of dave.

everybody took turns holding her when she wasn't nursing.

 

mom and her gifts (seven of her nine grandkids) making funny faces.

what a tribe we have together!

now i'm bummed i didn't capture the adults.

i don't snap as much in the midst of the busy-ness of a full house at christmas time.

this magical season

 

it started with a big bowers family party.

all four generations celebrating together!

 

 

their great grandma will be 94 next month ... she's amazing!

 

 

five of her six kids were here to celebrate with her.

 

 

mom and dad loved all over all of us ... their support oozes, and we always appreciate it :)

i crashed hard on the way back home.

i knew the list was long.

makin' magic is hard work.

 

 

next on the list was teacher gifts and class parties.

i was losing faith that i could get everything done that i wanted to get done.

i called dave when i was on the verge of tears.

he was on the verge of laughing out loud at me from his desk at work.

thank goodness he didn't tell me that until i could laugh with him!

 

 

johnny's "winter" party (because we can't call it anything else in the public schools these days) had snacks, a toilet paper snowball fight, and pin the parts on the snowman.

 

 

bowers family christmas - check, school christmas - check, church girls christmas (getting together to wrap for the two families we adopted these holidays) - check.

we haven't seen santa yet.

we still had one more gift to buy for the feeman family christmas.

so we headed to easton where they only charge $5 for a picture and they allow us to snap with our own camera.

 

 

lines - ugh. the kindess of this man - magical!

 

 

next up, discipleship program christmas.

i have been working on this garland for weeks.

it turned out neat!

 

 

i'm happy i could pull myself together enough to gift the women we pray for.

 

 

deliveries made to the nursing home and the motherhouse - check.

packed for another trip out of town - check.

 

 

on our way to hudson to celebrate christmas with the feeman family.

jeff loves to play iphone on the way.

 

 

we arrived and went straight to our favorite spot ... the fireplace.

with cousins and sibs and parents, everything is better!

 

 

busy, busy, busy.

it's all good stuff.

this is what makes this season magical.

jeff, dudes and dogs

check out this series of pics.

jeff hanging with u. alan, the dude (dudes are his favorite gender) and odie, the dog (not his favorite animal).

 

 

 

 

jeff follows his big sibs lead a lot.

ever since joey was bit by a dog two and a half years ago or so, everyone is afraid.

squeeling kind of afraid.

embarrassing and annoying.

hmmm ... i wonder if that's what i was when i used to climb up my cousins legs at the sight of a dog?

i have always been afraid, and in more recent years have gotten a little braver about doggy dogs.

i wanted you to check out that series though because after about twenty four hours of being in the house with odie, jeff warmed up to him. (so did johnny and janie a little!)

maybe it helped that jeff and odie both craved attention from u. alan.

jeff just kept petting him, and telling alan, "he's soft."

on the way up, he was saying, "i like papa. i like michael. i like aaron. i like u. alan." ... all dudes!

on the way home, he even said, "i like odie."

i know the comfort level doesn't stick though.

how the heck do we get over this fear of dogs?