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