Meet the Gardners

August 4, 2008

Well, I got a good night’s sleep and I’m ready to conquer the day! It dawned on me that, since I’m sure I’ll be talking about my family a LOT, I should introduce them. So let me tell you a little bit about the Gardners. (I could write novels about every single one of them, but I’ll keep it brief!)

First, of course, is my sweetheart, Sterling. I can’t even begin to tell you how much he means to me. He is my rock! He’s gentle and strong, wise and quiet, calm and steady. They say opposites attract, and that’s certainly the case in our marriage! That’s not to say, of course, that I can’t be calm and steady, but those who know me know that I tend to be passionate and emotional, although I hope it’s always in a good way!

Sterling is a simply spiritual man who loves his family—and horses! If he can’t be spending his time with us, his second choice is off on a ride! Now I don’t want you to think that Sterling’s perfect (although he’s probably as close as they come) and I’m sure we’ll talk about the things that he does that drive me crazy, but can I just say I love this man!

We have five daughters (Megan, Sara, Shalae, Sage, and Shanna), four sons-in law (Nate, Sean, Jon, and Jason), and 12 grandchildren, with number 13 arriving sometime in the next few weeks! I can’t wait! I’ll share more details about each of our children and grandchildren as time passes. For now, I’ll just say that nothing brings me greater happiness than being with them, whether we’re camping, stamping, eating, or vacationing. A perfect day is a day spent with my family!

Comments

[Kym]

Shelli,

I am thrilled that you now have a blog and will be sharing bits of your life with us. What a wonderful way to again confirm your commitment to all of us in the SU family.

This year was my first convention and I was so inspired by you and the Stampin' Up! staff!!! I have a new energy and desire to turn my "little hobby" into a business.

I have loved the SU products since they were first introduced to me. With all the new products and the direction SU is headed in with the online ordering, is just giving me that much more of a reason to move ahead with you and SU.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful family with us!!

[Jennifer Buck]

What a tremendous honor to meet you at convention! It truly was a pleasure! I am so excited that you have started this blog! Thanks so much for sharing with us! Take care! :)

[Laura Notman]

Shelli, Stampin' Up! took the "emptiness" out of our "empty-nest"! At convention this year, I walked my 10 year march. Woo-hoo! You opened up an avenue that has given me friends that I treasure! What a blessed gift! Thank you so much! God bless, Laura

[Maureen]

I just love how you gush on about your husband after so many years of marriage. You are truly an inspiration in more ways than one. Thank you for all you do to inspire us. I look forward to Stampin'' Up!'s 20th year. Its already promising to be the most amazing yet.

[Maria Pobre]

Love what you have shared so far and am looking forward to seeing what else you have to share. Also, just have to share with you that my mother's maiden name in Gardner... but we are from Maryland. :O) Happy Stampin'~ Maria

[Dee]

Hi Shelli..
You have been blessed..
What a wonderful family!!
I love rubber stamping and Stampin' Up.
I like to take some time to read & admire
the work put into many Blogs. They can be
quite inspiring..as I know yours will be.
TFS

Dee

[Elaine]

Hi Shelli,
Welcome to blogland and thanks for sharing this with us. It's nice to see your growing family. We'll all be watching for great news and updates (regular updates).... Have fun blogging! Don't forget that we love Blog candy too! LOL
Hugs,
Elaine

[Lisa Flynn]

Hi Shelli,

I will be with Stampin' Up! two years this fall. Unfortunately, I live in NY and have a "special needs" child, so with finances and not having some to care for him, convention was an impossibility for me. I so wish I could have attended. It sounded awesome!

I am excited about your new blog! I know this is your "personal" blog and not Stampin' Up!, but I just wanted to tell you how thrilled I am about all the new changes! I LOVE the two catalogs a year, the Big Shot, the Decor Elements, Online Ordering, everything! It is absolutely THE BEST company to work for!

Keep up the great work! Your family is blessed to have you!

Lisa

[linda]

One of the first things I look at when I get a new catalog, is your family. I've been with SU for 10 years and it's been fun watching your grandchildren grow. What a blessing they are.

linda

[Holly P.]

Shelli,

I want to start off by saying "Thank you" for that AMAZING Convention!! It was my first Convention and I will never forget it!! When I was there I was so inspired by your words. I visited the Home Office and was WOWED with the beauty and how homey it felt when I went inside. I am really excited that you have started this blog. I look forward to to talking with you and seeing the beautiful ideas you have :) Thank you again for the AMAZING Convention!!!

[Jenn Nahrstadt]

Dear Shelli--Welcome to blogland! It's one of the best places on earth, as I'm sure you've already discovered. Great people offering great feedback and sharin' the love!

I just wanted to let you know how appreciative I was of the offer the company extended to those who left convention early and didn't get in on the Say It with Scallops set that was given away in the last session. I had reconciled myself to whatever I was walking away from when I decided to come home Saturday, as I wanted to get some quality time with my husband and son and attend church before returning to my day job on Monday.

The company demonstrated to me, through the small act of being willing to send the set to me if I covered shipping and handling, that it really does operate by one of the core values I saw posted in the ideas room--that of balance. I love the way it was defined: We are dedicated to those who strive to create balanced lifestyles centered on serving family and others while nurturing their own self-esteem and growth.

This was my first convention and I'm coming up on my 2nd anniversary as a demonstrator. Thanks for creating a working environment that I can represent confidently and know I'm being supported as well. One last thing: the convention bag is FABULOUS!

[Debi Pippin]

Shelli, YOU are AMAZING! Your smile is contagious and your positive energy seems endless. How inspiring to see you on stage. Your creativity and the announcement of the BIG SHOT was so exciting. I know my classes will enjoy using it. So many ideas and such pretty things you shared. Thank you for planning and executing another awesome convention for us demonstrators to enjoy. I loved everything I saw and know that you will keep us energized with your new blog. I am putting you on the top of my blog roll. Keep sharing and I can't wait till convention again next year. Hopefully with a gang of mine own downline cheering and hopping in their seats with the excitement I felt this year!

Love to you and yours
Debi Pippin
Florida

[Becky Hill]

Hi Shelli,
I just wanted to say that SU! is the best. I have only been a demo for about 4 years and I was just concentrating on beeing a hobbiest Demo and this is the 3rd convention I have gone to convention and it renews me every year.I just love that you signed with sizzix and I can't wait to see all the awsome stuff that you guys are going to offer. Thanks for being an awsome company!
Becky

[Heather Fullerton (Retired Heather)]

What a lovely family your photo shows. I look forward to hearing your tales and watching your evolution in the blog world. Thanks for sharing.

[Alexandra]

Thank you so much for sharing your family with us. I have been a demonstrator since last year and look forward to your audio announcements. Sharing your enthusiasm about your creative passion is something I totally can identify with since I feel a piece of me is missing when I am not creating something.

Blessings from Florida!

[Donna]

Shelli! Just an observation....you must be as old as I am because your children and grandchildren look as old as mine. That being said...do you remember the Dorothy Hammel haircut? Maybe, the Farrah Fawcett haircut? They were signature, and just mentioning them stirs up a universal picture. Well,I think you can create your OWN signature haircut! That way we can all just go into our salons and ask for the Shelli cut! I love it!!!!! What do you think!

Best wishes,
Donna Centamore

[Beth Silaika]

What an incredible photograph. Thank you for sharing!

[Hannah]

What a lovely family!

[Debi Pippin]

Shelli I want you to know that you are one of the very special people I admire the most. You have made a difference in alot of womens lives and I personally want you to know how happy I am to finally be doing something I enjoy and feel passionate about. No I am not one of the top sales persons or a top recruiter but I am a crafter that loves to share the passion of crafting to others and that is all that matters to me. Does that not make me want to reach for a Goal? Heck no I am as excited as every to share my experiences of convention and really want to walk that stage next year. I entered the Artisan contest this year and although I wasn't a winner is Stampin' UP's top ten I felt as though I was one sitting there listening to you at convention. I did succeed in making one of my goal and that was to enter when I attended the year before and one of the winners graciously turned around in her seat to show me her beautiful bracelet when I asked to peek. I felt very inspired to set that goal and follow through with it. I am trying my best to do some recruiting this year and hope to make it to Leadership this year with at least 3 but hopefully more recruits in my team. I so enjoy teaching but even more enjoy learning and absorbing ideas and techniques I can use to teach my students. Thank you for starting this blog and giving more inspiration. Your words are both encouraging and comforting and I enjoy every post.

Debi Pippin
Florida

[Latha Steinbronn]

Shelli - Every time I check your blog out, I smile. You write exactly how you talk! That is awesome.
I love that you were 4 wheeling, I do too! Convention was awesome once again!
I never knew I needed creativity in my life until I started stamping. It helps me feel complete in my life. Also, there is nothing like watching someone else find out for the first time that they can stamp and they like it!

[Suzanne]

Bonjour,

Je suis une démonstatrice du Québec de Lévis près de la belle ville de Québec qui fête ses 400 ans.

Je suis contente de vous lire, on se sent plus près de vous et de votre famille.

Vous et votre compagnie nous offre des heures de plaisir.... continuez

Je vous lirai régulièrement.....

[Rebecca D]

Shelli, I love the new picture of your family! Purple is my favorite color. As my husband never wears purple, he considers it a particular coup for you to have convinced your son-in-laws to don the shade, even knowing that the resulting photo would be widely published. (He won't wear pink either, or anything even vaguely pastel! LOL It's a good thing I like seeing him in neutral colors!!) As a mom of 3 young girls, I see my future when I look at pictures of your family. It's hard to imagine my girls all grown up, with families of their own, right now, but I'm sure you felt that way not all that long ago yourself! Thanks so much for sharing so much of yourself & your family with all of us!

[Lori Blackburn]

Hello Shelli and family:

What an amazing experience it was to attend Convention. I look forward to seeing where Stampin' Up! takes us all in the next 20 years.

Thank you for making everyday at Convention memorable and it was an absolute pleasure to meet you in person. I too, have 2 girls and their names are Sara and Megan! I can't wait to see where their lives take them.

All the best,
Lori Blackburn
Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada
(part of Lynsay Mahon's Cloud 9 Stampers - we are all very proud of her success with Stampin' Up!)

[MM]

I just have to know.... everyone in the (immediate) family has a name that starts with S... except Megan. Since we are working on naming our next child, also due in just a couple of weeks, I was curious how Megan's name came about... and how on earth you can keep the other names straight. :o)

[Andrea Schoeman]

Hi Shelli,
Like you, I have the wonderful joy of stamping with my sister, and it was an even greater joy to be able to attend convention with her this year. And what a joy it was! Being so new to stamping and new with Stampin'up, it gave me a great sense of belonging, and really inspired me for the year ahead! Thank you so much for all the wonderful things you do for us and for being such an inspiration!

Andrea Schoeman,
Cloud9stampers. Edmonton, Alberta