Daybook

I like to journal, as is evidenced by this blog.  I have quite the  collection of
journals from over the years, of all shapes and sizes.  I made a journal jar once
(anyone else do that?) , with journaling prompts and that was kind of fun.
A few years ago, while reading some of my favorite blogs, I ran across a new
way to journal that I really liked.   It's called Daybook and this is the way it
works.  You have a number of prompts that you complete each week.  You
can have as many as you want and tailor them to your own interests. They
can be quickly filled in ( a bonus for those who don't have time to journal),
and over a period of time they provide a snippet into your  "world".  They
begin to tell a story of who you are at that time.  It's fun to go back a few
years and reread some of the entries and see how you've changed, or in
some cases see how you are exactly the same!  I like to include these in
my regular journal, but even if this was all the journaling I did, I know
there would come a time when I would really appreciate putting forth that
effort once a week.   Time has a way of erasing some memories, even the
ones we think we would never forget. And even though I don't think there
is anything particularly exciting and interesting about my day to day life,
someday my great, great grandchildren (I am optimistic I will have some),
just might want to know what my life was like.  What a gift it would be for
me to read something like this from my mom and grandmothers.

So, I thought I would start including some of my daybook entries on the blog,
maybe one or two a month.  Here is an entry from my journal two years ago.
As a little background information,  I was living in Atlanta with Kenzie at the
time and sorely missing my husband and my NC home.

Daybook- March 2010
Outside my window...sunshine, glorious sunshine!
I am listening to... the washing machine.
I am wearing...black yoga pants, light blue long sleeve 
     tshirt
I am thankful for... good friends and people who love me.
I am pondering... downsizing - having fewer possessions
     and a smaller home
I am reading... Breaking Free by Beth Moore and The Iliad
     by Homer
From the kitchen...I plan to make menus and use up all the 
     fresh food in the refrigerator
I am thinking... I feel so tired and don't feel like
     exercising, but I need to.
I am creating... working on April scrapbook pages and 
     knitting a brown scarf.
Music I'm enjoying...Cheri Call - so cheerful and positive.
I'm learning... how to take better care of my body.
Towards living the gospel... trying to judge less and love
    more.
I'm hoping and praying for...Mark. A full recovery from his
    recent illness.
In the garden...the tulips bloomed and were magnificent.
    What a treat to have a box full of red tulips.  I 
    enjoyed them all weekend.
Around the apartment...vacuum and keep things tidy. It's 
    so easy in this little apartment!
One of my favorite things...3year olds.  I loved seeing 
    Mason, Kelly, Felicity and Eba yesterday.
A few plans for this week... 
    Work on scrapbooks.
    Help Mekenzie develop a workable budget.
    Finish scarf.
Picture thought...

Some things haven't changed.  I'm still learning how to take better care
of my body, have to talk myself into exercising and need to judge less
and love more.  I think these will be lifelong pursuits. I did finish the brown
scarf, but didn't finish the scrapbook.  The box with all that scrapbooking
stuff in it, is now sitting in my basement, making me feel guilty every time
I see it. Getting all my pictures organized has been a goal for the past, I don't
know maybe ten years, and if you've noticed it's on My Year of Fifty goals
as well.  It's an overwhelming project and I just can't get seem to make
headway on it.  And what about that box of tulips? Weren't they beautiful?
That was a gift from my husband.  There were some advantages of
temporarily living in different cities.  I got some nice gifts. :)

Two years later...
Daybook - Monday January 16, 2012
Outside my window...a cold, cloudy day.
I am thinking...I may reward myself with a massage at the
   end of the month,if I can keep up with my healthy eating
   plan.
I am thankful for...a warm house, bowls of hot soup and a
   son who keeps bringing in wood for the woodstove.
I am wearing...white cords and a light brown sweater.
I am reading...A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry and 
   Divine Signatures by Gerald Lund
I am listening to...the sound of the woodstove fan, the 
  dryer and John Mayer Trio on Pandora.
I am creating...another scarf, the one I started when I 
  took the knitting class months ago.  I've waited too long
  and am having to relearn the stitches with help from 
  books and utube. I could do it the easy way and simply 
  use the garter stitch for the whole thing(I'm really good
  at that),but I'm trying to learn new stitches.
From the kitchen...I'm trying to make menus again.  Life
  is so much easier when I have menus for the week and 
  don't have to think about what to cook. I know this.
  Why do I stop doing it?
I am learning...about bees and what makes them die.
I am pondering...

 "He does not believe that does not live

  according to his belief."    Thomas Fuller

Around the house...Starting an organizing project that I 
  found on pinterest. Planning my preparedness goals for 
  2012.
Around the farm...hope to get some pruning done this week.
  Found out the chickens like leftover couscous...a lot.
Living my faith...visit teach this week.  Prepare for 
  Hendersonville ward conference. Started a new online
  bible study of Ephesians. 
I am loving...tomato lentil soup.  I've made this recipe 
  three times in the past month.
I am praying for...Kenzie, Brooke and her family, my dear
  friend, Carol.
A few plans for the rest of the week...clean out the 
  chicken coop,start working on garden plans, reread
  "Who moved my Cheese" for book club, go to the dentist
  and get my hair done - the gray is showing! 
A picture thought: