Anthropologie, Christmas Journal & the Pool Progress

The gunite was sprayed on December 27th, we can't believe how quickly the backyard is changing. Lorin has been using all of his vacation time replanting & pruning.

Shimelle's Christmas Journal is still prominent on my mind, and I'm trying to back track to complete the journal, but I'm exhausted from the holidays. I'm not doing anything very well right now, & I have a scrapbook to do for a customer by January 10th: I need to be mindful of time limitations!

Yesterday I was at the Z Gallery to pick up a gift & stopped at Anthropolgie next door. What an eyeful! Look at this abalone lamp?! The clothes remind me of wearing late 1970's clothing, quite fresh & feminine, at least the billowy cotton pieces were; the Spanish blouses--prices make me gasp for air, but the design displays are quite intriguing with creativity. My photos don't do it justice. {I bought a bird stamp set & art book, One Year in Japan on sale!}

Christmas Eve, 6:21 p.m.

Merry Christmas to anyone who peeps by.

I am thankful for Shimelle's class this year. It has been a gift, because Christmas is a whole lot of stress wrapped up in layers of distractions! I realize Christmas is about celebrating Christ, and you can do that in your heart. . .and from there springs the true giving, true blessings. Real gifts.

Have a Merry Christmas. P.S. Katy came home from the hospital a renewed child, she got on the phone with me & told me she got shots & blood taken out, that she cried a little. And I told her it was okay to cry! She's very excited about Christmas--perfect.

Christmas Eve

My girlfriend Katy, she's four, is in the hospital due to dehydration from the flu, amongst other complications. I'm sad but prayerful. I babysit Katy, and I tell you, she seems to be the adult not me! There's some children, not necessarily your own, you meet in life--and you just can't treat them enough. Katy is one of them.

No time to scrap just yet & a paid scrapbook job due on Jan. 10th. Hopefully I'll be able to finish my Shimelle's class as we close the chapter on the 2007 Christmas Journal. We'll see, life is but a journey. I sketched and wrote my Day #19 Dear Santa prompt. It was difficult seeing Christmas in the eyes of myself as an 8 year old child, jaded and embittered.

Random Shots: And look at this sky, the photo doesn't do it justice. And last nights hazy full moon off my front patio! Bluebirds for my Christmas tree.

P.S. My 'Hope' canvas made it to the slide of 'what-else-caught-our-eyes'. Jazzed.

OLW: HOPE & Shimelle Day #16

There is not a minute to spare. . .I am three layouts behind in Shimelle's class (pretty good considering this is day 18----eeek.) And for OLW, Hope. It's one of my favorite spiritual words used throughout my life. I have had this canvas ready & painted, old Christmas card cut out & Basic Grey patterned paper flowers cut to do the word Hope--if you can believe it, sitting on my desk for months. It was Jen's Circle Journal page I did on the same phrase, as her book was on cliches. Just intended to have more time with it. I had wanted the canvas to look downright messy but in a hurry & pressed for time I seem to always fall back on what I do quickly, neatly and succintly. After visiting OLW, I thought, why not, the groundwork was there. . .

Whirlwind!

As the Christmas Lot photos show, life is now a blur!

But some goodies. . .keeping up with Shimelle's class. And the shopping!

One gift for you, one for me, one for you. . .! At the Z Gallery I found these white-berried-stems dipped in white beads. Oh, and bluebirds for my Christmas tree--

yes, they are dipped in something glittery! {Lorin says they are too modern for our decor, but I like to have unexpected surprises and not be so predictible. I am no home designer but I do know what makes me happy!}

Ode to Anja Wade!

Crazy Love. Poco's classic rock song, just takes me right back to the early 70's. Look at Noah's sweet face. . .makes a mother's heart sing!

So, this is an Ode to Anja Wade, two pages "scraplifted". Scrappers are generous about sharing ideas. . .and I hope AW is complimented rather than annoyed! I watch daily Sibling Rivalry, it's usually between the two younger ones. P.S. I love incorporating song lyrics into pages. . .it's part of the magic of scrapping in terms of what you capture because music is the essence of a moment and you reference immediately to a specific memory or emotion. That Anja reminded me how I love it, I'm planning to determine to scrap more lyrics. Like everyone else, we have a lifetime to scrap! I just love Anja's work, she is a unique spirit.

Yes, More Him, Less Me

I must say, I may not have the latest & greatest of supplies, but I do have more than I will ever use. I'm a lucky girl to be able to play with these supplies. Okay, no more dallying, Christmas is here & I must have my eyes wide open, though my body fails me! I'm sick again.

Shimelle Christmas Journal Notes: My first year. Besides preserving my perspective, it has been therapy for me. It has a way of adjusting your attitude. My hope is to scrap as quick as possible most of the season into this Journal, and maybe, Godwilling year after year. Love those projects! Point to remember: Spirit is willing, flesh so weak.

The Dig has Begun & Shimelle Christmas Pages

Well, The Dig has Begun. We are so excited, now we feel after months of contractor's bids, etc. it really is happening. Some of these photos are taken from my master bath window looking down. Lorin and Frank had to take several trees and remove them or replant (the Palms)them. It broke my heart but broke their backs!

And loving Shimelle's class, the only thing truly Christmasy around here. . .kind of like my Snowman tray surrounded by coral, makes it: my kind of decor, my take on a Pacific Islander's take on the season. . .

No Christmas but I'm scrapping!

Shimelle's Christmas Journal #9. A bit tight, and had to use old photos. Love that blurry one! It's hard to scrap while Christmas is blazing by. Went to shop for denim jeans for Noah because he is desperate for new jeans and the stores were packed. I got yelled at by a pedestrian as I was trying to move at 5 mph in front of Target. . .I hope everyone else keeps the panic and crankiness away during the hectic days ahead!

OLW "Live" #2; Shimelle's Day 7

It was pure joy to sketch "Not Today" (and the sketch was inspired by an artist/scrapper named Pearl Maple--sounds like a movie star huh?); the Christmas Journal, my form of therapy is revealing layers of insights, today being, I am downright stubborn. I tried to go simple today because, phew--there's miles to go. I picked up a 4 " peppered Poinsettia at the grocery store, my token contribution to the family for today. Was it for the family or me? Dunno.

Posting at the Cinderella Hour!

Shimelle's Day #6; which is when she says people begin to drop off. Not me! {YET} I have not done one thing Christmas. This is not good. Here's a picture of Lorin with our pool guy Jeff who came by today to stake our pool area! Work put off because we expect heavy rain, but we should begin this coming Monday. I wonder if I can use the pool excavation for an excuse not to do Christmas??? {Scrap Note: I have picked up from Anja Wade her the use of masking tape! It's so artsy & I am addicted to it right now! I'm a huge fan of Anja Wade, huge.}

December 5th Shimelle's Prompt: Advent

The afternoon was spent playing with an advent calendar. Already the days are just flashing by. Been thinking of this photo & title "Faith" for Frank for some time. High School is a deluge of information & I know Frank is challenged. Can you believe it is midweek?

We expect rain so the pool digging is postponed until Monday. We'll see.

So far, I'm good!

Shimelle's Day #4, the perfect Christmas.

Truthfully, I have moments of sheer panic as I face the Christmas holidays. I have to remind myself. . .one task at a time & oh, breathe.

Great conversations with Jeanne & Lacette today.

Christmas Card Layout

I love Christmas cards, it's about my favorite part of the holiday, next to the tree. I saw this starfish Christmas card at Barnes & Noble a few weeks ago, I ran by last Thursday because it represents what's in my heart these days. Christ & shells, ha ha! They were no starfish cards to be found. Just so happened on Shimelle's 3rd day, I found them on a bottom shelf at the Hallmark store. . .

Shimelle's Christmas Day #2

Hopefully I will learn to post to Shimelle's forum, hope to learn quickly. Meanwhile, it's feeling a lot like Christmas!

Shimelle's Christmas Journal Begins

December 1st. It was a sweet hour of collecting my thoughts to design & paper.

OLW L/O & Frankie

I bet I can scrap that word "Live" many times over. Already thinking I may enter another re. the life LIVED here in this here scraproom, because on this lovely southern Cali rain day. . .a little Nora Jones & surrounded by stuff. . .words are not enough!

Thanksgiving & A Whole Lot of Ambience

Or better yet, Notes from the Underbelly {I so get that}. My bestfriends know that when someone says, "holiday hosting" to me, I feel choked. I am not the greatest cook, and I am not the hostest with the mostest okay? I am immediately on a cliff ledge & I have to call my best friends & moan. They love me just the way I am.

But I prayed & sent up my alms let me tell you. And guess what--oh miracle of miracles, sweet Jesus helped me get through the days. Let me tell you how, first I committed myself to the family holiday. . .LOL. . .I dove deep into comfort, organized my shells in bottles (which has nothing to do with holiday prep, but everything to do with my twisted thinking) & that meant a series of shell frames! Ivy Jeanne's newest white on white has me dizzy in love, so I pumped my holiday frenzy in between all the cleaning and organizing while ill with the flu. It's possible my body was revealing how I truly feel about hostessing a party of 20+. This is how I work the stress girlfriends, I start craft projects galore!

Ambience. It's been a joke with my October Maui trip since the cottage we rented had no ambience to speak of it was so small. But for Thanksgiving, I hit the shops for Ambience, maybe people won't notice my dry turkey because they are so smacked with Ambience. And, sigh*, I found it in two lonely pineapple votive holders at Pier 1! YEAH, I'M SAVED. I was instantly, cheered. . .& it spurred me on to a fabulous Thanksgiving, that actually (because Lorin helped me clean, clean, clean--love you hubby) had me kicking my heels in glee. Turkey was timed perfectly & moist, there was a pineapple glow in my heart. . .sweet Jesus gifted me with help. I so needed that. . .I am blessed tenfold. Lots of pics to go with my story.