Monday 9 March 2015

Surprises

I am not a winter person. Every year I tell myself it will be different, I will enjoy the fresh bracing air, and the coming home to a warm house, and getting all crafty and cosy while its grey and cold outside. But every year I go all listless and gloomy and fed up and lose motivation for pretty much everything. However. The mornings are lighter and its around now that I feel like I am waking up, just like spring.
The weather this last week has been a lovely surprise. Feeling the sun's glorious rays always helps to lift the spirits.


Spring is arriving and there is new growth everywhere.


The first few days of my mood lifting is also a lovely surprise. I waken up and something imperceptible has changed. I can't even remember what my train of thought was, but on Monday I was pondering getting more organised and generally feeling a bit more in control off general day to day stuff when I vaguely remembered Lucy's Attic24 post (http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/2015/03/keeping-track.html). I think I'd read it previously but not really absorbed it, you know ? Anyway the gist of Lucy's post is about using a new-fangled (ish) personal managementy type thing called Bullet Journalling (http://bulletjournal.com) to record calendar dates, to-do items, ideas, anything really. I won't waffle on about it here but suffice it to say it's a method that really appeals to me. Probably because it meant justifying the purchase of a nice new notebook.


When I was little I LOVED notepads. I was never happier than when I had a new notepad and new pens. The start of each school year, with all the new stationery it entailed, was pure joy. A new notepad and/or pens still has the same effect to this day, so off I trotted to find a suitable notepad for my new journalled bulleted organised life. I bagged an absolute Bargain with the notepad above. I spotted it in our local newsagents. It was marked at £7 (about $11US). £7!! For an A5 (half US letter sized) notepad! Scandalous. Argh. I tried the supermarket too. Nope, they were all just wrong. Back to the newsagents. Ummed and aahed and argued with myself, put the notebook down, picked it up, put it down, argh, it's way too expensive, oh but it's so nice, I shouldn't really, oh what the hell let's just do it. So I took it up to the till, the lady rang it up - £2. Really ? Are you sure ?? Yes! £2!!! How brilliant! I am sooooo glad I decided to get it after all the dithering. Gotta love a bargain :)


Back at home I set to the actual Getting Organised part. I spent most of the day at my desk with pens and paper and scissors and glue. I nicked Lucy's calendar sheet, Ihttp://www.calendarpedia.com/2015-calendar-word-templates.html), printed it out and stuck it in. Like Lucy had done, I made up and printed out a page for just March, and stuck that in too.


I also nicked Lucy's idea of alittle mantra-y motto-y thing in the front page, so I did a quicky doodley drawing and stuck that in too. I'll never be the world's greatest artist but it makes me smile :)


Yes I know I copied all of Lucy's ideas (thanks Lucy!) but I find that I often spend so long dithering about what to do that I don't do anything, so when someone else has presented you with an excellent solution, why think of something else just for the sake of it. I'm sure Lucy won't mind :)

I did that mad thing that we list makers do. I wrote out a whole heap of tasks that I'd already got done this week, just so I could cross them off. Very pointless but also very very satisfying "look at how organised my journal has got me already :)".

There have been a couple of other lovely surprises this week too. A win at a school fundraiser raffle. You can still see my lucky raffle ticket attached. A trio of cute boxes filled with fruity smellies for a bit of pampering, lovely :)



Crocheting with normal yarn over t-shirt yarn is proving fun and surprisingly easier than expected :)


And a final surprise, I was lucky enough to win Gilly's, from gillymakes (http://gillymakes.blogspot.co.uk) giveaway recently, and my lovely parcel arrived last weekend. Look how beautiful it looks, a pretty card tucked into some funky bakers' twine.


... and inside, a pack of scrumptious patriotic yarn, and a really sweet little National Trust book by Nicki Trench .....


Thankyou so much Gilly, its a fabulous prize :) I look forward to making something out of the book with my new yarn :) No, idea what yet, it will be a surprise :)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx





16 comments:

  1. Lovely surprises you're having! I really love your journal, I hope it helps you stay organized just the way you want it to.

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  2. There is nothing more satisfying than crossing things off a to do list, the journal sounds amazing.

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  3. Sorry to hear you have been feeling a bit down over the winter Jill, it hasn't come across in your posts, you must have been trying hard to stay positive! Love your journaling idea, I saw that post of Lucy's too, and thought it was ingenious. Anything that helps us keep even slightly on top of the avalanche of tasks can only be a good thing. Lovely raffle prize and lucky you winning the giveaway. Hopefully things will be on the up and up for you now XX

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  4. Glad to hear you are picking up Jill, I think it is the grey, drizzle that seems to plague our winter that is so soul destroying...freezing cold bright sunny days are perfect, but despite the cosy warm house, thick jumpers, snuggly fires etc etc I do long for vests, shorts and flip flops as my daily uniform!! How about a tea cosy for that wool? xx

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  5. Such lovely happy things!!! I am glad that you have had good things coming your way Jill!! xx

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  6. Such a happy post. I trying hard to resit doing the notebook thing! I could spend hours making it pretty - hours that I don't really have! :)
    Hope you are having fun. x

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  7. What a great giveaway to win (as well as the raffle prize!). I really like the look of that wee Nikki Trench book. I've just checked Amazon and they don't have it. What a shame. I also loved all sorts of stationery when I was a child and still do. Have you tried The Works for stationery? It's so cheap and the notebooks etc are great. Also good for the occasional crochet book by the way.

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  8. I know exactly what you mean ;-)...
    I am also very glad for the sunnier and lighter days we have now!
    I love notebooks but I am so rubbish at making ( and sticking to ) lists unfortunately.
    Hope your diary will help you!
    Love from Mirjam.

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  9. Gosh you have had a lucky few days how nice and enjoy your prizes! I think I have notebook envy, I have a bit of a love for stationery - such a gorgeous notebook would certainly help me to get organised!
    Caz xx

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  10. Jill, I always think of you as organized because it seems you're always able to accomplish so much! I love your drawing for the front of your new notebook - words we all need read everyday!
    Bravo for winning 2 lovely gifts. How exciting it is to get goodies in the mail like that!



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  11. You can't beat a bit of new stationery for making you feel more organised! I do that list thing too :) I agree that the arrival of spring is very energising. There are things that I enjoy about winter, but warmer, longer days just make us feel better, don't they? Glad to hear that you're feeling more perky :)
    Cathy x

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  12. Look at you getting all organized and having fun doing it. I am a list maker so this appeals to me too. I work from a spiral notebook and a good old desk calendar. It works for me. Love your gifts, how fun!
    Meredith

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  13. I love love love notebooks and I have loads of them! I love this idea. Its the kind of thing I always set out to do but my notebooks never look this organized. Its got skribbles here and lists there, back and forth and all disorganized inside. But I always have one in my purse to write things in.

    And how funny it is that you do that same thing. Write a list of things that is already done, just to cross it off! haha I thought I was one of a very few.

    Congrats on winning the give away from Gilly (and the raffle) :) She is so great. I won a giveaway last year and treasure the book I got :) She added in some very cute fabric and bits.

    Enjoy your weekend Jill.
    Birgitta xx

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  14. Love this! Your Spring attitude must be contagious as I'm getting more on board with energy & organizing here too!! Such lovely goodies you've won also.

    Your new planning organizer looks great too. Keep feeling light & springy & full of smiles!! Xoxo

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  15. Hurray for spring! As I am writing this, bright sunlights floads through the window - it feels soooo good that spring finally arrived!

    Congratulations on all your wins! :-) Oh and the calender is a beauty! I used to use diaries a lot, good times!

    Take care
    Anne (Crochet Between Worlds)

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  16. Hi Jill! Loved reading your post, it made me feel positive! I just wish the weather here would pick up, today it was all rain, rain, rain. I hope it gets warmer soon. I've seen bumblebees a few days ago and I even got stung by a mosquito already (not fair), but it is still chilly here. I love your notebook! Nothing like a good bargain, eh?
    Happy planning and recording!
    Ingrid xx
    http://myfunkycrochet.blogspot.be

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Thankyou so much for visiting, and for taking the time to leave me a comment :) I really really love getting little messages, I read and value every single one, so thankyou again, and have a great day :)
Jillxxxxx