Journaling

I will just say this upfront...Consistent journaling is not something I am good at. In fact I stink! Making time to write down things I think are worth writing down is hard for me. I know some people journal during their quiet time with the Lord, and I applaud them. Some make time for it at bedtime or even online in a blog. I, however, snatch a few lines here, jot a couple there. Often not even twice a month! But I read about a journal at aholyexperience.com that just made me want to dive in!

So off I treked to three different book stores in town looking for the perfect jounaling specimen. My criteria was difficult to fill: thicker pages, spiral bound, not too bulky, but not teensy-weensy either. And price, nothing over $15. Ok, yeah, I'm cheap, but seriously, it's paper and more paper. And I'll let you know a little know fact about me: those fancy-schmancy bookstores intimidate me. I feel like a dowdy goofball in my mom jeans, pulling up in a mini-van. But I was inspired and fell in love with the idea so much that I was willing to risk it.

After searching....and searching....Nada!

Nope.

Zip, zero zilch!

There were beautiful notebooks with skimpy, thin pages, there were ginormous sketchbooks that would have taken up half my kitchen table. You'd think in this artsy town there would be something usable. And believe me, I am not what most would call a picky person. I make do with what I have most of the time.

So where does one find 'THE Perfect' journal????

Wal-Mart!

Of course, Wal-Mart. Who would have thought? And really, I go there about once a week to kill time (ahem) shop, so why I never noticed this before is beyond me....Oh wait, it's because I shop with three sometimes four little ones; and as you know Wally-world is like a huge candy store for kids with all the awesome toys, coloring/craft stuff they put out in the middle of the isles. Basically I run in and out of there to grab a gallon of milk or peanut butter as fast as the three-year-olds' legs will carry her.

So, yes I found my journal in the scrapbook section there. Who knew?!! I spent that evening tearing through my old gardening and cottage style magazines looking for pages to add some style and color to my new pet project. It was therapeutic to rip, snip and glue it all together.

I'm off to a good start, don't you think? I leave it in a special nook on our kitchen counter. I write down things the kids do and say, musings of my heart, Scripture, favorite quotes, lists to get me through the day. My husband and I leave each other silly or sweet notes to read. I even will let the kids draw or write a note if they want to. My goal is to create a book of our family's happenings, sayings, dreams; to have something to look back on and have a tangible reminder of our days together. So far, it's been a lot of fun, and the consistency part isn't as hard as I thought ;).




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