My 2024 Journal Line Up

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I have taken a new approach to what I focus my attention on. Taking time to not pick things that sound good or fun but that are supportive of the big things I am looking to call into each day.

The truth is I have countless ideas. Countless projects I would love to work on. Sadly, as a human being my limitation lies in the realms of time and energy. While I am grateful to almost never be bored I am also easily distracted by ideas.

When I sat down to curate this years journals I wanted to make sure I was picking practices that support what I am working towards and how I want to spend my days. I feel good about the line up I have but I am also planning to re-evaluate everything as the year goes and to not be afraid to cut things out or maybe add in something new.

So here are my current journals for this year.

First up is my 5 year journal. I saw this video and loved the idea. I have kept a small journal where I write down just a few things from the day before but I loved the idea of having one book for 5 years. I picked up this journal which is going to be short a few pages but that I thought would work well for this practice. I also decided to make a cover for it to dress it up a little. I followed a great tutorial from Pin Cut Sew that you can find here if you want to make your own.

Next up is my catch all journal. This was originally going to be a bullet journal until I realized, again, that while I love watching videos of people and their bullet journals that type of planning doesn’t work for me. So I ended up repurposing this journal into a catch all.  A place where I can write out ideas, work through plans, make lists-whatever comes to mind. I have no preciousness about this journal, I scribble in it and I absolutely love it! I got this journal as a 2-pack (the same pack I used for my current reading journal) and I am so happy with it.

Next is what I think of as my morning pages journal but really I write in it whenever. It’s the journal where my thoughts and everything I am going through gets written down. I have a cover I purchased years ago off of Etsy and I refill it with blank journals when it’s full. I love writing in this but it’s one of the practices that once I fall out of it is so hard to get back into. I often will write in it on our patio under the tent during the spring and summer and it makes me so happy. I really want to bring this practice back to help me with my writing goals.

Next is my “Be Still Journal” which is a book I created for my prayer practice. It holds space for daily prayers, verse of the day, words God has spoken to you along with blank journaling space. I plan to list a few in my shop along with some handmade goodies but in the meantime you can purchase your own here if you wanted.

Then I have 2 sketchbooks that are part of the year-long art class I am taking with Carla Sonheim. These will be where I work through the different assignments throughout the year.

Last up is this big and beautiful sketchbook that I purchased originally for the class but then decided I wanted to do something else with it. I have no idea what that something else will be but I feel like I want to make it part of a daily art practice. I am giving some space to this one to see what unfolds and I’ll be sure to share with you once I’m done.

And of course the last one, which I forget to mention in the video, is my Reading Journal which I shared with you yesterday.

I hope you enjoyed this little look into the journals I have picked out for the year. I do plan on sharing them with you as the year goes on and if you would like to know more about any one in particular just put a comment below.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

My 2024 Reading Journal

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I am really excited to share with you my new reading journal.

The idea of a reading journal never really occurred to me. I have kept a list of all the books I read each year for a while but I never did more than that. I made a reading journal last year sometime but never did anything beyond that so when I went down the rabbit hole of seeing all these beautiful reading journals people were creating I felt completely overwhelmed.

Thankfully I came to my senses and decided to make a journal that fit with who I am and would capture things that were fun to me in an easy, no pressure way.

I ordered this journal off of Amazon originally to be a writing journal and quickly realized it wouldn’t work for that purpose and how I write. Instead I decided to cover up what I had already written with some 0ld papers in my stash and to add some washing and create a few pages of things I wanted to track in 2024

First up is my reading goal of 70 books read this year. I increased my goal based on what I actually read in 2023 and I feel pretty confident that I will be able to read that many. I’m thinking the first page might be used for books covers of what I read.

Then I added a page to just write out the books that I read. I would love to print out the covers but at least if I write them down I have them listed and I can always go back and print off the covers at another time.

I also added a “books acquired” page to my journal. This page is going to be books I buy or pick up from the Little Free Library. It will be fun to see how many new books join my collection in 2024 and where they come from.

Then I added a page for all the books I borrow from the library in 2024. I know this can also be tracked digitally but I like written records and I am curious to see how many books I borrow this year.

Next up is a list of all the books from the Agatha Christie Mystery Challenge from the 52 Book Club. Along with their 2024 Reading Challenge. I thought this would be a good way to help choose what book to read next if I’m not sure or another challenge I might like to take part in. It’s a bit redundant but I also included a list of all the Miss Marple books. I have never read any of those stories so it seemed like a fun list to keep.

And that is all I added. I like the idea of having lots of open space for things to come and I’m considering a monthly round up of what I read that month but I want to keep it easy and fun so I can keep up with it.

How about you have you ever kept a reading journal? Are you doing one this year? I would love to hear about it!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

 

Plan with Me: Habit Tracking & Time Blocking

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Last week I shared a plan with me video and then found myself sick by Tuesday which meant all of my pretty plans didn’t happen.

I am trying to be very conscious this year about what it is I am trying to accomplish and making sure it aligns with the things that matter to me most. Adding something to a list every week that I am just not doing isn’t going to help me reach any goals and not giving myself grace when things happen is also not going to support me and the goals I have.

We get sick, we have bad days and plans don’t work out. What I am trying to do this year is to really connect with my plans and re-visit with them each week to make sure they are still in alignment with what I am working towards.

Handwriting my Habit Tracker and Time Blocking schedule is really helping me with that. I am able to recognize that right now, focusing on my dissertation and course work isn’t best suited for the headspace I’m in right now. I don’t want it to fall to the wayside but I also need to be realistic about where I am right now.

So I removed a few things this week like my coursework, editing my writing and daily walks. Since I haven’t been writing daily-which is my highest priority, there is no sense in focusing on editing. With the weather right now and the fact that I am just starting to feel back to my normal energy level letting daily walks go for this week made sense so I can focus on stretching instead.

I really like this way of connecting with the habits I am trying to cultivate. It’s my hope I won’t be beating myself up for not doing something and rather looking at why it wasn’t done, do I still need to do it and if there is a better way to approach it. It also keeps me from having things on my list that I think I should be doing rather than the things I am meant to be doing.

With the time blocking I am basically splitting my day into 4 parts and deciding what activities are most like going to be done during these times. This isn’t for tasks like “laundry” but rather meant for the things that really matter to me and I want to make time for. I took in to account how I feel at different times of the day. Since I am not a natural morning person (much more a “noon” person) that wouldn’t be the best time to try and practice my flute or work on my French lessons. My brain is not nearly awake enough for that.

By plotting the general time I am planning to do certain goals it feels like I am leaving more space for things to happen spontaneously throughout the day which I also love. As much as I love the idea of planning out each minute of the day I am not that person. I love leaving lots of room for the unknown or to follow a burst of inspiration here and there.

So that is what I am working on today. I hope you enjoy this little look into my planning day. If you have any questions about what I am using please feel free to comment.

 

Until next time…

–Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

My January TBR & 2024 Reading Goal

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Welcome to our first Book Club for 2024!

I am happy to report that I did meet my Goodreads goal of reading 52 books last year and actually I exceeded it in reading 56 books which I am really happy with! If you are on Goodreads please hop over and friend me-it would be so nice to have more bookish friends.

For this year I decided to increase my reading goal to 65 books and with one short story already under my belt I am feeling pretty good. At the very least I know I won’t ever run out of books I want to read. The list just keeps on growing! I went to pick up a few books I had on hold at the library and found another one while on line. Too many books, such a lovely problem.

For January I have picked out a few books I am hoping to get through. The first is “Adorning the Dark” by Andrew Peterson. This is a Christian book that is focused on the creative practice and the struggle we can feel when bringing light into the world. I am really enjoying it and I purchased myself a copy. I am using this book as one of the exercises for The Year-long art class I am currently taking with Carla Sonheim.

Next up is “The Appeal” by Janice Hallett. I saw this book on BookTube and decided to give it a shot-I’ve heard lots of good things. I wasn’t able to get it read in December like I planned so this is moving over from last month.

“The Secrets of Winterhouse” by Ben Gutterson is the second book in the Winterhouse series. I purchased this and book #3 after reading the first book. I really love the series so far and I’m excited to delve back into the mysterious hotel.

Lastly I have “The Real Wallis Simpson” by Anna Pasternak. I was watching a documentary about Wallis Simpson and the former King and it sent me down the rabbit hole that lead to finding this book. I don’t read much for biographies so I am curious to see how I do with this one.

So that is my plan for January. To hit my goal of 65 books this year I need to read more than a book a week but usually I manage that when I couple it with audio books so I will be sure to share with you any additions next month.

I would love to hear what you are reading and feel free to link your bookish blog posts in the link party below.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

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