Oh where, oh where have my brain cells all gone?

Oh where, oh where have my brain cells all gone? Oh where, oh where can they be?  With my husband deployed and my kids late for school, oh where oh where can they be?

My husband is deployed, but I really can't complain because it's much shorter than it has been in the past and yet it still feels like it's taking for...ev...er !

You know, when he told me about this upcoming deployment, I got super organized.  I even wrote a goal sheet. Yes, annoying I know.  But I had all of these wonderful intentions of getting everything I had put to the way side, finally done.

And so for the first, say 3-4 days, I was like a Tasmanian devil up in here.  I started on sock drawers tossing the lonely singleton's, making my way to closets, stuffing our over abundance of all the things, into a ginormous donation bag for Salvation Army, I stock up on groceries and pinned crafty activities for the kids and I to do, and you know what I felt accomplished for a minute.

But since then... the two books that were on my goal sheet to be complete have yet to be opened, the website I was supposed to design, welp still nothing, oh and the waking up for 'me time' every morning before the kids, yeah let's not talk about that.

I mean seriously, I am zonked!  *I blame day light savings.

Now, as we are a few weeks into this whole separation thing, I have decided to give myself a little grace.  The self-bashing that has been in my head the last couple weeks, I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy!

So from here on out, this is what I am going to do, it's not rocket science or anything, but I will accomplish one thing everyday.  Now, I am including taking the kids to school on time! High fives for that right there!  I will also include a hot dinner on the table for me and my littles a small, yet satisfying success.

Maybe you too have felt that you are failing because all of your to do's that are still undone.  Listen, I am giving you a pass today.  Take deep breaths, find your zen, have a glass of wine and throw in some chocolate and smile because you are doing the best you can and I am too.

"Don't worry, about a thing, because every little thing, is going to be alright." Oh, Bob Marley I adore you and will gladly take your advice.

Cheers to Friday friends!

Tiffany
xoxo

A letter of hope

Dear Mother in law,

I'm writing this letter to you, to give you an update on our family. We think of you often and pray for you daily and hope one day that we will see you again...

To start off, I wanted to fill you in on our lives with our two precious girls who are both incredibly sweet and have an abundance of curiosity.

Sophie is in first grade and has gotten straight A's this year.  She has God in her heart and reminds us how blessed we truly are.  She performed in the Nutcracker twice now and lives up to her middle name, she is definitely full of grace. She asks about her Granny often and when she will see you again, questions we can not answer, but instead we pray that we will have you in our life again.

And Gia, she has more spirit in her little body and has a way of commanding a rooms attention with just her smile.  She is in preschool now at our church and is enjoying socializing and learning in a group setting.  She started ballet this year and is tiptoeing her heart out trying to keep up with her big sister. She asks about who you are and why she hasn't seen you, but for now we show her pictures and again we pray.

Your son.  Your unbelievably intelligent, hard-working, family loving son.  He is everything to me and the girls.  What an amazing man you raised.  Jake is serving our country and flying the stealth bomber, a dream come true for him.  How proud you would be of all he has accomplished.  As a Father he is present and the girls are smitten with him.  Before bedtime he sings songs from his childhood that you once sang to him and tells the three of us childhood stories of the loving Mother that you were to him when he was young.  Helping him with his science eco-system project, caring for him when he was sick and how on Sundays he and his sister would put together a newspaper to bring in to you in the morning.

Lastly there is me, your daughter in law.  I am keeping busy with running the household and blessed to be a stay at home Mom.  I know you know the beauty and the struggles of taking care of everyone and hope one day we can talk over tea about how Jake was as a child when he was only a boy.  Until then, I will continue to pray that the two of you let down your guards and surrender the past.

I felt a pull in my heart to write this.  I don't know if you will read it or not.  I hope that you will.  You are loved by your grandchildren even if they have only a handful of memories of you.  You are loved by your son even if you haven't heard the sound of each others voices in years.  And I have love in my heart for you as well, as the Mother of my husband.

My hope is that before 2016 comes to an end, there will be answered prayers and healed hearts.  And maybe if the stars align, you will sing, Nani Nani, the lullaby you sang to Jake, while holding your grand girls.

Sincerely,

Tiffany

Do something that matters

                                                   

A couple of weeks ago, while browsing books on Amazon, I came across, 'Start Something That Matters' by Blake Mycoskie.

My passion is discovering ways to find our purpose and finding God's plan for our lives, which is why immediately I had to order this book!

It has been so insightful and has encouraged me, as I continue to work towards identifying opportunity in using my business, to incorporate something that matters.

Timing is everything. A friend of mine recently contacted friends and family to ask if we would like to participate in her Kindness Crew. What this entailed was simple, initiate any act of kindness and write a brief story to be shared over Valentine's Day weekend in hopes to spread kindness.

Without a doubt, I knew I had take part in this wonderful project. I was inspired by the TOMS story and resolved that I would give one for one for every be brave, be kind bracelet I sold over the next two weeks, I would give a bracelet to a woman at the Survival House.

Visit my shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/StampHaven1


Here is the story...

"My name is Tiffany and I strive to make a difference. My business Stamp Haven commenced about one year ago. My intentions for this business have always been about telling your story through jewelry and gifts that matter.

Recently, I have had more opportunity to spread positivity through the pieces that I create. Phrases including, Be Brave, Be You, Be Kind are simple, yet powerful words.

I chose to share kindness to Survival House, a safe house for women and children in our community who have suffered from abuse. I knew right away when I read about this organization that this was the place that I wanted to give, one for one bracelets to.

These seven wonderful women need many things. Clothing, toiletries and resources are a necessity for them and their children, and in the future I plan to help provide some of these items. Today, it wasn't about giving them what they need necessarily, but more so, a chance to give them a glimmer of hope.

I pray they know that are loved and worthy of a better life. Encouraging them to believe in themselves is the first step.

If there is an organization you think would benefit from one for one giving please contact me Tiffany Campione at tcampione27@gmail.com or at mysavingrace818.blogspot.com

xoxo,


Tiffany Campione

Stamp Haven: https://www.etsy.com/shop/StampHaven1

https://www.facebook.com/Stamp-Haven-358372354334108

How do we know...

I believe there is something greater than ourselves orchestrating the strings of our lives, but how do we know if we are doing our part to accomplish what God wants for our lives?

During my early to mid-20's, I was oblivious to this concept. I lived day to day for what would benefit me, myself and I.  I was a professional dancer and this passion of mine, took hold of my heart and was the center of my world.  I strategically planned everything else in my life around my dancing endeavors.  As a result, I missed important family events, my faith faltered, and along the way relationships slipped through the cracks.

I have grown since then.  I am stronger in faith, I have become a mother of two beautiful girls and I did the unthinkable and moved away from home with my adventurous fly boy.

Although raising our children has given me the most love I have ever known, I still have an aching inside of me, calling me to dig a little deeper.

While my husband Jake was deployed a few years ago at Christmas time, I climbed aboard a train with my 2 month old and my 3 year old. The three of us ventured 18 hours on that steam engine towards home, where we would be surrounded by loved ones during the months he was away.

At the time, we were living in Minot, ND, sometimes referred to as, The Magic City.  Minot had experienced a horrific flood the summer prior, damaging over 4,000 homes.  The flood thankfully did not damage our home, but for one reason or another the affected community weighed heavy on my heart.

One night while at my parents house, my Mom suggested, "Go take a break honey."  She had Gia cradled in her arms and Sophie was already sound asleep.  I took her up on her offer and did what sounded best at the time... I took a shower. Maybe some of you busy Mama's can relate!  That night while I was in the shower I started brainstorming ideas of how I could help.  In that glorious 10 minutes of quiet time, I decided I would put together a 5k on the anniversary of the flood.  I would only have 5 months to whip this up, but somehow the worrier in me didn't worry at all.

Let me be clear, I am not a runner and I have humbly participated in a whopping total of one 5k in my entire life!  I knew nothing about planning this endeavor, but I couldn't shake the idea.  I also decided in those few pertinent minutes, that I would name the charity event, Hope Floats Rebuild The Magic.

It has been awhile since that inner voice was so crystal clear to me, which makes my goal as 2016 begins this week obvious. I am working on one simple task more than ever...listening.

We were all made for a specific purpose.  We may cross paths with someone that only we can provide the comfort and hope that they are desperate for.  Sometimes it may be hard to explain or may otherwise be impossible, but His plan always comes to fruition.  All we need to do is listen.  We are a wonderful work in Him.  Be kind to each other, encourage one another and be the ears to listen to be called to greatness.

"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:  Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." James 1:19

Do we need love or choose love, that is the question...

In my life I have been single I don't know something ridiculous like a shallow handful of months since the ripe age of sixteen. It sounds completely horrible.  I am a serial monogamous. There I said it.  Isn't it all about taking that first step towards recovery? Anyway, I never participated in casual dating, random hook-ups, etc.  When I met someone I knew in an instance if it was going to be a long term relationship, and if not, adios.

I had always felt I needed a person in my life to fulfill some dreadful missing piece. I discovered the hard way that it's really more so, about choosing to have love in your life once you are secure on your own.

There were times in my life where I filled a void for the person I was dating by boosting their confidence and being their biggest cheerleader.  I have also needed in relationships, where I was feeling insecure and around the corner was Mr. Charmer, boom crisis averted! Or, so I thought.

This type of relationship is seriously dangerous.  It may help repair your troubled heart temporarily, but this quote below about needs in relationship says it all, have a look.

Isn't this fascinating?  It makes so much sense.


The 'meet cute' eons ago...

It was fall in good ole' 1998, just off the campus at EIU. My roommates and I were hosting an epic Halloween party(I never use that word by the way).  Jake showed up that night and would go on to tell you that he snatched a smooch from me, but I'm still not buying it.  I have faint memories of a hand full of conversations with him that semester, but in a flash I never saw him again. Unbeknownst to me Jake had left school to enlist in the USAF.  Now we hardly spoke that semester, but without a doubt, I know now that God was preparing something magnificent for us.

Nine years later...

I was twenty seven and was encountering a difficult period in my life.  I had gotten married prematurely, I had insecurities I needed to be fulfilled as did my significant other at the time and not long after saying, 'I Do' we were saying, 'Good bye.'  Though it was a rough chapter in my life, I had grown so close to God in spite of it. I decided during this time, to give the reigns of my life over to God entrusting Him with my life, so I knew I was in good hands.

It was a beautiful spring day when I received a friend request on MySpace.  MySpace, yes I know I'm decrepit. At first I didn't recognize who this tall, dark, and delicious, guy was.  I sent a message to him saying hello and asked him how we knew each other.  Jake wrote back explaining our acquaintances from EIU and it started to trigger my few memories of him. Jake also mentioned he was in a pilot training class in Texas, but would be back in Chicago the next week.  He asked me out on our first date to a Chicago Bulls playoff game.

I don't remember who won the game that day, or the names of any of the players for that matter, but I will never forget the way Jake smiled at me and the feeling of joy I had from the moment we said hello.

We had grown up since that first meeting when we were just teenagers.  It wasn't our time then.  Our needs had been met and we were choosing each other.  This choice came with it's challenges; a long distance relationship, unexpected deployments and plethora of zip codes, but over and over again I choose us every time.

Interesting food for thought:

Need: requirement, necessary duty, or obligation

Choose: something that is preferred or preferable to others; the best part of something

When I see the definitions of these two words, this is the analogy that comes to mind:

I need to eat Brussel sprouts, broccoli and carrots, but I choose to eat a red velvet cupcake with extra cream cheese frosting.:)

For anyone reading this that is single, there is a person for you out there.  Dig deep using your mind, body and soul through spiritual growth, artistic expression, working out or all of the above which is really what makes my soul dance and the rest will fall into place. Your needs are for you and God to work out, but choose a person to be the icing on your cake.

A little ditty about me...

When did you start blogging, and why?

My blog commenced shortly after my oldest daughter Sophie was born. We adventured out of state when she was four months old and I wrote primarily for our family to watch Sophie grow and to be able to hear about our day. I also have always loved journaling. I love to read blogs and journal entries from my past and be carried back to a time and place in my life.

What are some of your favorite sites on the ‘net?

One of my absolute favorite sites is undoubtedly Pinterest. This little slice of heaven is my go to for everything crafty. Whether I need a quick fix for the house, entertainment for the kiddos or I am at a loss in the kitchen and in dire straights for a new recipe, I know I will be in good hands. And the icing on the cake…I can browse this lovely site all while sitting comfy in my PJ’s with a delicious glass of wine. Ahhhh bliss.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Coffee. That hot cup of Joe is how everyday begins over here. I would hate to see it any other way. I imagine if there was a morning we had no coffee, the kids would be pulling me out of bed and no one would be getting anywhere and absolutely nothing would be accomplished.  That said, we are off in the morning, picture Home Alone after they have slept in, yep it isn’t pretty. Two days a week my youngest little mooshie face, as we call her, Gia, goes to preschool for a couple hours and during that time, I complete orders for Stamp Haven, I write, get groceries, followed by more coffee and on to pick up my punkin (OK I’m realizing we have a lot of nicknames for our babies). On most nights, after everyone is home sweet home in the evening, we sit down for dinner together. We go around the table talking about our day and for the first time all day the four of us our sitting in one spot!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/StampHaven1

What advice would you give someone who wants to blog or share his/her story?

My answer in short is yes, write; write your heart out friends, I can’t wait to learn more about your story, but I also know it’s tough to open up and leave the pages of your heart exposed for the world to see. I struggle with this decision with the memoir I’m writing, Gift of Grace. But, I pray often and something I try and pay attention to.  If your gut is speaking to you, and you keep coming back to it, than go for it!

To me writing about the past is therapy. I have dug deep and discovered it has helped me close the door on things I was still beating myself up about. As far as opening a blog, I think at times social media can be a distraction from what is really important, but the very best perk for me is learning about others. Shared experiences and relatable moments, they help to bridge the gap between those who may feel lost, hurt, broken and others who were once in their shoes ready to encourage them as they cross over for a new beginning.

In my early to mid-20’s I thought I had my life figured out. I was a professional dancer after college and I wasn’t budging for anyone and as a result, relationships were damaged. What I am proudest of is that despite the heartache my late 20’s brought as a result, it had to happen. That’s the crazy thing about life. There are just some things that have to happen in order for God to get you where you need to be. For me I had lose everything in order to really appreciate what He had in store in my future.

Sophie is my saving grace. She is His miracle. Because of her I knew I would do everything in my power to keep our family together. Even if that meant going out of my comfort zone and moving to places I had never been so that she could be with her Mom and Dad. I have never looked back at that decision.  “Look how far we have come,’ is what usually crosses my mind. It also hasn’t been easy, but it’s the story God has chosen for me. I have grown as a mother, spouse and woman of faith because of this journey and that makes it worth it for me.

How can people follow you?

You can follow me at mysavingrace818.blogspot.com or on facebook.com/tiffany.campione

Thank you for spending a few minutes of your time to get to know me, I really appreciate it and I am excited to learn more about you as well!

xoxo,
Tiffany

A summary of my memoir 'Gift of Grace'

“What if I show up on your wedding day, will you still marry him?” 

Tony’s question haunted within as I stood with my beautiful white blusher veil delicately covering my freshly dolled up face.  I was twenty-six and marrying Ryan, the man I loved, but as I stood on the cement church steps, my body started to shake. Could I have been second-guessing the decision I had made when I said “Yes,” to Ryan while simultaneously saying farewell to Tony?

When we went our separate ways, I numbed the pain by collapsing hard into the arms of Ryan, the perfect charmer. Tony made attempts to change my mind, but I pressed on in my professional dance career. Determined not to live in his shadow as an NFL quarterback’s wife, I kept the hurt for him buried silent in my heart.

Meanwhile, complacency in the present had me desperately creeping back to my past with late night phone calls and an unexpected visit.  But when I arrived at my destination, I was too late to salvage what I had come for and consequently my marriage was ruined.

I wanted to run away. I dug deep into faith and began pleading for God to take over the tangled reigns of my life. God began a new work in me and by God's graces I was given the most precious life changing gift; a second chance.  

I trusted God with my future of the unknown and could feel His presence giving me confidence to embrace this new beginning and learn to grow in Him along the way.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old is gone, the new is here!  2 Corinthians 5:17