Stacked Stones Studio!

You kn ow how it is when you get back from a long trip...it seems like it takes almost as long as you were gone to get back into the "groove" of your daily schedule? Email has piled up...the post office is holding [boxes] of mail -- most of it "junk" ---but you never know so you have to go through it piece by piece -- in case there is a PRIZE! Well...I got back Sunday and have been trying to get back in the "groove." Today, I hit it. Of course, I got up at 4:30 am in order to get there -- but ohhhhhhhhh does it feel good to have the laundry done, the emails current, the beds changed...and I found all the "prizes" in the mail! Woo Hoo! I am current at work too -- not sure how that happened -- but I will not study the whole process too closely in case I am wrong. *whew* My honey is out of town...so tonight, I thought I would see if I were "in the groove" on the scrapbooking front. I have been wanting to do a layout about my niece, Lindsey...

That's the thing about vacationing on an island...if you stay by the shore and keep driving, you will eventually make it all the way AROUND the island. In fact, that is what we did today...with many stops along the way. Here are a few highlights. 1. Dole Pineapple Plantation and the worlds largest hedge maze. Glider plane rides North Shore Bonzai Pipeline (and its ability to reach the TOP of the sand dune we were sitting on and get us all wet!) Fortunately, MY camera was one dune higher.... Eight dozen shrimp shared among seven people sitting out looking over the ocean at a roadside shack...our favorite were the coconut encrusted -- but the butter garlic ones ran a close second, "How many boys does it take to get one coconut out of a tree?", you ask. We found that it takes all three of them...lots of laughter, rocks and sticks -- but there is a reward of coconut milk when you are done. We had very much fun today...I am exhausted...going to download all the pics and watch ...

Well...I can tell that I have totally relaxed because my brain has moved from thinking about "what do I have to do next?" to "the meaning and purpose of life" kind of thoughts. As I was sitting looking out over the Pacific Ocean this morning, I was listening to some great praise music by a friend of mine and watching a mother whale teach her new born calf how to jump out of the water and splash its tail. (I won't go into all of it -- but I did just take a whale watching expedition and am FILLED with little known facts about the humpback whales lifestyles and preferences.) Suffice it to say -- the momma can't start making the trip back to Alaska (where she can feed again -- there is nothing for her to eat here) until her calf is strong enough to launch itself out of the water and hit a predator hard with its tail. I don't know if this momma was motivated by hunger or maternal instincts but they stayed at it for almost an hour. It was mesmerizing to wat...

Today...reading The Big Picture , by Stacy Julian, one of the assignments required that I list some of my "favorite" things. Her point was that these items tell a lot about who we are and what is important to us...and perhaps are good things to scrapbook. I like the concept. So here are a few of my favorite things (not sung as in the Sound of Music or even rhyming) : Blue glass bottles -- because I like the way light looks shining through them in a window. Lavender scented candles, body wash and lotion -- they remind me of a trip to France when the lavender was in bloom Cinnamon hard candies -- my best friend in first grade and I would bring them to share with each other during recess. Lemon Verbena soap -- my grandmother (I called her Jammy Jane) smelled just like this and she was my favorite person in the whole world. Christmas -- I love the white lights, the music, the decorations and the smells of Christmas -- not to mention getting gifts for people I love. I also love th...

Ok...today was WONDERFUL! I have been doing "boy fun" things for the past two days -- but it paid off this afternoon. They took me to the LSS here on Maui and gave me 30 whole minutes to myself. It turns out that scrapbooking isn't that big with the locals -- but they have figured out that vacationers like myself do like to create scrapbook pages of their trips so this store has created a whole line of paper and die cuts. It is TOTALLY small -- but cute. It was fun to talk with scrapbookers from other parts of the country. Some of them post on 2 Peas...so now I have a couple of new on-line friends to watch what they do with their vacation. I also found some vintage Hawaiian postcards that are totally awesome. Tonight we went to our favorite restaurant on Maui...Mama's Fish House and had Mahi Mahi stuffed with lobster, crab and coconut cream sauce....encrusted in macadamia nuts and broiled....it was enough to make my eyes roll back in my head. I wish I had the recipe.....

Surprise indeed! Weston had NO idea that his best friend, Taylor was joining us for our trip to Hawaii over spring break. Even though they had played in a paintball tournament on Saturday, Taylor kept the secret. On the way to the airport, Weston was trying to feel out Royce and myself on which one of us was going to accompany him on his more daring plans...biking down Haleakelah (sp?), Snuba-ing (a combo form of snorkeling and scuba) and surfing. I had assured him that I would go snorkeling with him a lot -- and that we would both be prunes from being in the water together since his Dad isn't a big fan of open water -- preferring to sit and listen to the waves rather than FEEL them buffet his body. He wasn't convinced that it would be fun enough without one of us and I was having to semi-commit to some things that I wasn't sure I was supposed to do yet (since I am still recovering from surgery). Anyway, we got to the airport and I walked in ahead of them to "get in li...

There is a reason they call Hawaii -- Paradise ! It really is totally beautiful...even though it has been mostly overcast with some brief spots of sun. That is fine with us -- we get sun -- but not too much...and it isn't raining...which it is doing on Kuaii. Visiting paradise is different with two teenage boys. It is more about planning the next days activities rather than how "inactive" to 40 yr olds can be sitting out on a lava encrusted point -- but it is so much fun helping them enjoy this island paradise for the first time that it is rejuvenating all in itself. Yesterday (after getting our lost luggage in the morning), I went snorkeling with the boys. We saw all kinds of fish and were absolutely exhausted after a couple of hours. Today, the boys took surfing lessons...and Royce and I went on a whale watching boat. Here are a couple of pictures of the boys. I will save the pics of them actually surfing for later. I cannot even begin to describe how majestic the hump...

Hello friends... Sometimes -- isn't that an interesting word? It means that there are only a certain number of "times" something occurs. Not always....that is really what it means. Not always. That is what makes "sometimes" special. Because you never know when a "sometimes" is going to happen. You have to watch for "sometimes" moments...or you miss them. For instance... Sometimes I am sad. But that means I am not ALWAYS sad. I need to remember that when I am sad...it is only a "sometimes." Sometimes, I stop for a Marble Mocha Machiato at Starbucks...wow is that a great sometimes! I started thinking about this word when I did a lo about a little girl I met in Oreol, Russia. I called it SOMETIMES...here it is. The journaling is in a pull tag behind it. Last week, I did this other two page LO about my honey, Royce and his son, Weston. He is such a great Dad...and has made lots of memories with him...has really built into him. I found ...

We all have times in our life that we would call "difficult." When I was a teenager, it was because some boy I thought was "cute" walked right by me and didn't say a word -- and my personal perception would be deflated. As I have grown older, my "difficult times" have changed in nature -- and I have also become much more aware of other people's "difficult times" and my sense of inadequacy to help them through them. As a Christian, I turn to God for the answers. Recently, several of my on-line friends have gone through some really tough things. A baby with surgery, the loss of a child at birth, job related problems, financial issues and personal conflicts to be resolved. My heart has gone out to each of them. I have prayed for them...and continue to do so. I read a great little book this weekend that really encouraged me...and today I thought I would share just a couple of things from it. The title of the book is, The Red Sea Rules:...

Oh yeah...I got to go back to work today! Probably more importantly, I am feeling much better. Guess there really is something to this "bed-rest" thing after all. *smile* I did come home after a meeting I had out of the office -- so it was technically a "short" day -- but I still feel like I got some things accomplished at work non-the-less. When I got home, I finished the altered journal that I have been working on for my friend's daughter who is going on two school trips in a week. Her Mom wanted her to have a fun journal to keep track of everything in -- so we put this together. Thought I would let you see the cover and one of my favorite pages. Hope everyone is doing well... Blessings, Jann

Well...here I was thinking I was doing so well from my surgery -- and I guess I pushed things a little to much. Apparently, I pulled an internal incision -- and while it is painful -- the doctor says it will heal just fine if I will stay off of my feet for a couple of days. So -- here I have sat -- moving from the bed to the couch...to a little bit of time in my scrapbooking room (sitting VERY still in my chair). I feel like I have gone back to the days right after my surgery...I hate it! Anyway...I did get my layout finished that I started at the crop last Friday night. The layout is about a little girl, named Danara, that Royce and I met in St. Petersburg, Russia. We both fell in love with her...and wanted to bring her home with us -- but it just wasn't a possibility. We met her in a Child in Danger shelter where she had been placed because she had been abused, her mother was in prison for drugs and her father was dead. I met her when I walked through the "dining" area ...

I am so happy I am a girl...for so many reasons. One of my favorite reasons is that it is ok for my to gushily happy over pretty things. My joy of the moment was brought about by the arrival these gorgeous jars of vintage buttons by Melissa Francis at Scrap It -- the most wonderful scrapbooking store and hang out place I have found. I brought the buttons home and enjoyed going through them...touching them and smiling when one or another of them reminded me of clothing my Mom or Grandmother (Jammy Jane) used to wear. The jar itself was too pretty to put away, so I had to find it a place of honor. It now resides beside my antique typewriter, vintage pen and ink and wax stamps sitting on my scrapbooking table. I smile everytime I look at it. Did I mention I LOVE being a girl?!?!?! Have a great day dear friends...and find joy in the moment and little things -- they pass way too soon.

I have a "love/hate" relationship with Saturdays. During the week, it seems like I am always looking forward to them because Saturday is a day that is supposed to "belong to me." But that is so rarely the case...they usually belong to my -- "LIST." I won't even bother to explain the list -- but it has been with me for a very long time...and sometimes comes in written format -- but other times it exists only in my head. Things that I SHOULD, OUGHT, MUST or HAVE to do. How an item gets on that list is a whole other process that I am not sure that even I understand...but I am real clear when it does finally make it on "the list." There is one other word that is occasionally associated with "the List" -- WANT...as in things I WANT to do. The perfect Saturday is when the things on "the List" -- all the SHOULD, OUGHT, MUST or HAVE TO do also are on the WANT TO portion of the List. This would be the "love" part of the r...

On a roll. I finished another lo tonight. In looking for the picture I used last night, I ran across a whole stack of my very favorite pictures that I have taken while working in orphanages in Russia. I have boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes (you get the idea) of pictures from more than 16 years of traveling throughout Russia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. If I were to think about it, as a very new scrapper I could be VERY overwhelmed with all the "resources" I have to work with -- or if you were to see it from my perspective -- "that I OUGHT" to get in a scrapbook as quickly as possible. It simply can't be done. However, and I guess fortunately, I have one box of my very favorites that I kept adding to as I took them and loved them -- for whatever reason. Last night I opened that box...and it just might be my Pandoras box. I LOVE the pictures in there -- because there is a story behind each one that means something to me. So, guess for a while, I will p...

What a lovely evening I have had. I knew that I wanted to spend some time scrapbooking -- but I really had intended to go a different direction entirely...even gone specifically to Scrap It to pick up some purple paper and embellishments so I could work on a lo from a recent trip to the Bahamas. Oh well...the best laid plans... As I sat down to work, my heart was drawn to a favorite picture I took a couple of years ago of a lady named, Tamara. I met her in the midst of a bitter winter in Siberia, Russia. She was pulling a cart filled with straw from one end of her village to the other where she had a very skinny cow that provided milk for all the children in the village. I was freezing cold despite all my thermal underwear, gloves, coat, scarf and hat. She on the other hand, had only a jacket and a scarf tied loosely around her head. Her eyes are what caught me. In a face that only partially showed the difficult life she had led thus far, were these incredibly joyful eyes. They danced....

There is much joy and celebration in my house tonight! My budgets are done, submitted and out of my hair....at least for now. Of course, there is the teeny weeny eenincie chance that The Board won't agree with everything I put in my budget -- so I have to leave a tiny crack in the door that would require me to drag them back out and rework them. However, for today....they no longer exist in my world! Woo Hoo! To celebrate, I came home and did just a quick and fun layout of my dog Anastasia and her personal watering dish...better known as my backyard fountain! It was fun and came together quickly...not the most sophisticated thing I have ever done -- but it gave me satisfaction to be able to say that I finished my budgets AND did a whole page lo in one day. I'm queen of my wooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrld!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So...I couldn't help myself. I had to turn these wonderful pictures of Weston into a scrapbook layout. It was fun...gave me an opportunity to try and do a "vintage" look. I am hoping to take several of our old family pictures and do something with them...but since most of my stuff has been "retro" oriented up until now, I needed to see what would happen when I went with a different style. So PLEASE, give me your feedback and ideas...I am a total sponge. The journaling under the saddlebags & pistol picture is basically from my blog.... Ok...onto other fun things...Yesterday was the Super Crop at my lss, Scrap It . It was my first time to go to the SUPER crop -- 10-10...a whole 12 hours of women, chatting, chocolate and scrapping...is that as close as we're gonna get to heaven here on earth or what?!??! Tracie Claibourne had a great "Layout Takeout" -- which people really loved. Have I mentioned what a talented lady she is? She has an eye for col...

For as long as I have known Weston, Tombstone has been his all-time favorite movie. He has also especially had an affinity for Doc Holiday. Tough on the outside -- but a softy at heart. That describes my Weston. Today, he got to BE Doc Holiday...for real. His high school theater class required him to come "in character" and stay that way all day long -- never breaking character. I am betting he managed that assignment quite nicely. As I took these pics, I saw a younger -- not so rascally or hardened Doc Holiday. It is fun to pretend...and while I guess I would want him to always be the kind of man that will champion "the right" -- I pray that he will not go down the sordid path that made Doc Holiday a lonely, sarcastic man who died too young. Ok enough philosophizing -- it was just fun.

I received a gift for Valentine's Day that I thought I would never get. I got to watch "my child" become a man and see him go out of his way to treat the special lady in his life to an evening of romance. He and his Dad are two peas in a pod. But in my experience, teenagers want to do their "wooing" in private...not in front of their Dad and his girlfriend. But Weston was all about he and his Dad doing this together. Now, given -- his Dad is the King of Romance and if a young man wanted to "do it right" he is pretty smart to go to the source. As a single gal -- and never having had any children there are so many things that I miss and yearn for...and one of them was watching as Weston (he has become like a son to me after knowing him for the past seven years of his life) move from being a boy to being a man. Last night they pulled it off. We were met at the door by two gentlemen dressed for romance. They then took us to the dining room which had a been...

I love my honey, Royce. But when I say that I love him -- there is so much more tied up with it than just "googley eyed" lu-uv. I respect, admire and trust him more than any man I know. He makes me laugh. He makes me think. He challenges my thinking. He doesn't mind being quiet (in fact, he sometimes prefers it! *smile*). He loves Jesus and seeks to follow Him every day. He is a leader. He is a peace maker. He is a gentle man. He is a feeder. He is romantic. He is a great Dad. Yeah...I know he isn't perfect. But then, neither am I -- and it seems our imperfections and quirks and strengths all seem to compliment each other...and fit together like a bit of a puzzle. I wanted to give him a Valentine that said all of this...and more (I'm NOT showing you what is written on the back). So, thanks to inspiration by Jenni Bowlin...and a lovely door prize from last Friday night's crop at Scrap It...I sat down and tried to pull it all together. Hope you a...