Plan with Me: 2024 Edition

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Hi everyone! I hope your year is off to a great start. I am really excited for all the plans I have for the blog.

I will be using my Happy Planner to make plans for not only the content I will be uploading but also when I will film, edit etc. I noticed this past year that I would often think I would have a day to film only to realize that I won’t be able to go to the studio that day. Having it all in one planner is going to help, I hope, with that.

So I am using my Classic size Dashboard layout. I created some digitals go inside that I can use for tracking content ideas but also to plan out when I am sharing certain content and when it will be filmed, edited etc.

I usually start out my planning sessions by opening my Cozi Calendar app. We have used this app for probably about 15 years. I love that it has shopping lists because so often we will say, “hey next time we are at the hardware store we need ‘x'” only to find ourselves at the hardware store going, “what did we need?” Shopping lists help because we just add to them as we realize we need something and when one of us finds ourselves at the store we can see what’s needed. So helpful!

The best part is that the calendar feature is viewable by myself and my husband. So if he’s at the doctor and needs to schedule an appointment for 6 months from now he can pull up the calendar and see if there is anything on a certain day. I really recommend this app if you don’t already have a digital calendar that you love.

So when I open the app I take all the appointments for this week and add them to our paper calendar that I keep in the kitchen. The kitchen calendar is a quick overview for all of us to see what we have going on one week.

Then I usually start decorating my Happy Planner first. I add some washi, stickers and maybe some color with markers. I don’t go overboard just enough to make me look forward to opening my planner each day.

I then start off by adding the appointments from Cozi onto planner. This helps me get a feel for how busy my week is and then I can plan around that.

This week I also went and added all the content I planned to create on the insert I created. I do plan on adding this to my shop but I wanted to play around with it for a little first to see if there were any tweaks needed. Once I did that I was able to figure out when something needed to be filmed, edited, blogged, etc. I then added those items to my “to-do” section on the planner.

I also created my habit tracker for the week and my daily routine. Instead of my routine being time related like I had it last week I changed it to group things into the different sections of my day: morning, quiet hour and evening/dinner time. This feels a lot more manageable because most of what I do doesn’t need to be done at a certain time I just want to make sure I am making space for it.

I edited my habit tracker too from last week and tweaked things a bit. I am finding that my planning this year is so much more gentle and supportive than it has been in the past. Instead of feeling like “to-do’s” or things I missed it just feels like this space that’s holding what’s most important to me and that feels much more sustainable.

So that’s this week’s planning session. You can watch the video below of the full process. How about you? Do you have a planner picked out for this year? What’s your favorite way to plan? I would love to hear!

Until next time…

Shop Small Saturday: Houseplant Edition

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Today I am sharing some plant fun. We had snow flurries today and my garden is well packed in for the season but thankfully inside I have my own little green babies growing happily. I find such peace in walking around during the day and checking on them. Often times in the evening before bed I will walk around and do a little pruning, watering and that’s also when I turn on my humidifier in the living room for some of my more particular plant babies and also the one in our bedroom.

Houseplants bring me such joy and last week I was browsing around looking for some local houseplant shops I could visit. I was so excited when I found a wonderful shop not far from me. Wandering their greenhouse was the therapy I needed after feeling a bit out of sorts the past few weeks. And, of course I treated myself to a few new little plants.

I am by no means a plant expert but I did some research on my new plants and thought I would share what I found with you. The shop offers details on their website which is great. So here is what I picked up:

“Purple Passion” Gynura aurantiaca:  This plant is one my mother always had at home and was one of the first ones I purchased when I got my own place. I have been on a search for it recently and was so happy to see it here.

Gynura aurantiaca like most houseplants like bright indirect light which basically means a sunny room but not where the sun is shining directly on the leaves which could cause scorching. Your average well-draining potting soil works perfectly along with a balanced fertilizer which I only really do when it’s spring or summer or if my plants really seem to be growing a lot.

The fuzzy leaves on this plant can hold moisture and cause rot and my mother always said you didn’t want to get them wet so bottom watering is advised. Keeping the soil slightly moist is ideal but if it gets a little dry in the winter it’s not the worse thing. Like most house plants you want them to be watered well but never in soggy soil which can promote rot. I purchased a moisture meter for about $6 and it’s my favorite thing! I never really saw a necessity but it’s great for letting you know whether your plant needs a drink or not.

Next up I purchased a Peperomia ‘Quito.’ Peperomia have become one of my favorite plants of late and this one with it’s peachy leaves really brought a smile to my face and that’s the best reason to bring home a plant. For light we are again looking for bright indirect sunlight and this plants like the top inch or more of it’s soil to dry out before you water it again. Use a well draining soil and if you can put these in a group of other humidity loving plants, on a pebble tray or near a humidifier they will love you for it! They like it warm between 65-75F and fertilizer during active growth with a balanced fertilizer.

Burro’s Tail is an adorable succulent that I brought home. The texture on this plant is absolutely stunning and I love that the little leaves can grow you new plants. Easy propagation of more plant babies is always a plus!

This succulent love bright indirect light but avoid sunshine on the leaves. Like our Peperomia it loves temperatures of 65-75F, a well-draining cactus soil and to be watered sparingly especially in the winter months. Succulents usually tell you that they need water when their leaves start to wrinkle. You also want to avoid wetting the leaves as this could cause them to rot. These plants don’t need high humidity so if your house tends to be on the dryer side this plant is perfect. Fertilize during the growing season only.

Alocasia ‘Silver Dragon’ has to be one of the coolest plants I have. It’s leaves feel so incredible textures it almost reminds me of plastic. The veining is gorgeous and I am so happy to have it sitting in my living room.

Again this plant loves bright indirect light, warm temperatures with higher humidity and a well draining soil that stays moist but never soggy. Like the other plants you really only need to fertilize during the spring and summer unless you notice your plant growing a great deal during the winter months.

Peperomia ‘Hope’ attracted my attention right away! I love the plump leaves and the trailing vines of this plant. It’s currently on one of my shelves keeping some of the books from TBR list company.

With average humidity levels and bright indirect light this Peperomia is less particular than some. It likes the warm temperatures of 65-80F and well draining soil that is allowed to dry out for the first top inch or so before being watered again.

Last but certainly not least are two little baby jade plants.

Now I was looking for a jade plant but when I saw the story of these I loved it even more! These little plants are from a cutting of plant they had in the green house that is 80 years old. That was just too cool to pass up! I love to think that these little guys could grow into large plants that I am able to share cuttings with friends and family for the next 100 years!

Jade plants or Crassula ovata, are succulents that like very well draining soil and you want to keep the soil damp-like a wrung out sponge but never soggy. Growing them indoors you can give them full sun so they grow well however gradually acclimate them to it. Start them in bright indirect light and move them closer and closer to that sunny window.

So that was my most recent plant haul. I hope you enjoyed this and I would love to hear what some of your favorite house plants are.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

 

 

 

Setting up My December Journal: Video

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Today I am easing my way into the holidays.

The Christmas spirit is just settling into my heart and I thought it would be the perfect time to set up my art journal for December. The idea here is for me to have a creative space to come to and create and relax in during the month of December.

I am using my kit and plan to keep everything in the box so I can carry it around with me and make art in little snippets of time.

It’s not just going to be just for art either. I might make lists of some of my favorite things, books I have read, movies I have watched. The idea is for this to be a creative space for me to rest and recharge in during the holiday season.

I also made a list for you of ideas and prompts for what you may like to do in your own journal. You can download it by clicking on the image below.

I hope you are having a wonderful start to your week. Much love!

 

 

Until next time…

 

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

My First Ever Art Journal Kit! Unboxing Video

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I am so excited to share with you my first ever art journaling kit! I have wanted to curate my own art kit for years and I am so excited to have one for this holiday season.

This kit has everything you need to take part in December Daily, memory keep those holiday plans, decorate your planner-you name it. You can check out the video below for all that’s included. I only have a few of these kits available but you can buy them on my shop here.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Book Club: What I Read in October & Novembers Reading Plans

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Hello everyone and welcome to another book club post.

I have lots of books to share with you so I’ll just dig in!

For October as part of the “Spooktober” and “Victober” challenges I read:

“The Portrait of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde

“Silas Marner” by George Eliot

“The Haunting of Maddy Clare” by Simone St. James

“We’ve Always Lived in the Castle” by Shirley Jackson

I really enjoyed all these books and thoroughly enjoyed “Silas Marner” which was a surprise for me. I am now on a hunt for more books by George Eliot that I might like so if you have any recommendations please let me know!

I started but didn’t finish “The Other” by Thomas Tryon. I read the first few pages and just wasn’t able to form a visual or really understand what was going on. Since I had so many other books to read I just let that one go. I was unsure of that book from the beginning anyway so it wasn’t that hard to DNR it.

My books for November are a pretty large pile but I am also picking some smaller books in an attempt to make up my book count. I really want to hit my reading goal of 52 books this year.

I am taking part in 2 challenges. One I think I made up and the other one I learned about from Mark at Book Time with Elvis on YouTube. He’s co-hosting a reading challenge called Dr. No-vember and the challenge is to read a spy book that takes place during the Cold War. The book read is “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold ” by John LeCarre and I also picked up “Call for the Dead” in that series. With any luck I will be able to get through both of them.

Next up is “Rizzio” by Denise Mina which is a really short book that I already finished but I’ll tell you about it during my November wrap up. This is a work of fiction that tells the story of the horrible death of David Rizzio the secretary of Mary Queen of Scots.

“The Benevolent Society of Ill Mannered Ladies” by Alison Goodman is another book I am listening to on Audible. The performer is fantastic and I am enjoying every minute of it!

On my Kindle I have “Scraps of Paper” by Kathryn Meyer Griffith that was sent to me for a review so I really want to get that read and my review up as soon as I can. I will be sharing my review here, on my channel and on Goodreads.

I am planning to finish “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley this month which is another book I’m listening to on Audible. Am I the only one getting loads of digital credits on Amazon while doing my holiday shopping? It’s a great way to get some free books on Kindle and Audible!

“The Murders in the Rue Morgue” by Edgar Allan Poe was suggested to me by my library. I love his poetry and I am looking forward to reading these short stories.

And last up is “A Treacherous Curse” by Deanna Raybourn. This is part of a series I stared in the summer and I am really enjoying. It’s another lady detective series (I swear it’s not all I read) and it has some very unique story lines and some very likeable characters.

So there you have it a rather large pile of possibility for the month of November. How are you doing with your reading goals this year? Do you have some big plans for November reading? I would love to hear!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Plan with Me: Personal & Business Planning

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Happy Monday everyone!

I hope you had a lovely weekend and your week is off to a great start.

I thought it would be fun to do a little plan with me session. So many of you seemed to enjoy my Happy Planner Haul so I thought it would be nice to show you how I use my planner to organize my week.

It seems only fair to say I am not a super planner in that I don’t plan out every bit of my day and keep to those plans. I like to think of my planner as a container of possibilities where I write down the things that need to get done and the things I would like to get done and try and make space for both. I think it’s why I like the boxes of my Happy Planner-they are perfect little containers of ideas and things I want to do.

I am using my Classic Dashboard Layout in the video and my new sticker sheet that I shared in the haul video. I love to start out by adding color usually with washi tape but sometimes I use highlighters or markers around the boxes too. Then I add some stickers before writing down my to-do’s. I saw Elisa at the Scrappy Wife do this and I really liked it. I have found that decorating a bit first let’s me know how I am feeling about the upcoming week and helps me to gauge my expectations. Adding the color and stickers also gets me excited for perhaps some of the less interesting activities that fall within a week.

Once I have decorated a bit I add in any appointments. My husband I use a shared calendar to keep track of all our appointments which really helps so we don’t double schedule something. Once I add in the appointments I then write down any things that need to be done on a certain day in the next row of boxes-like returning library books or something like that.

I am trying something new this week and I am adding my business to-do’s relating to the content I create and share both here on the blog and my channel to the third row of boxes. I used post-it notes to show when something would air and then worked backwards to see (based on appointments) when I needed to record, edit etc. I really like how this worked out and I am excited to see how it goes.

Then I add any to-do’s that aren’t day specific to the far left corner, add some more stickers and call it a day. How about you? What planner do you use and how to you plan out your week?

I hope you enjoyed this post, if you have any questions or comments let me know!


Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante