Calendar Journaling

I briefly posted about this Calendar Journaling concept once on a Five Things Friday post. I didn't go in depth, but now that I completed a whole year and bragged on the results, it seems like an appropriate time to talk a little more about it! On January 1st, I posted this picture with the following caption on Instagram and Facebook.

"A year ago today I started a calendar journal in an attempt to really pursue Jesus and feel connected to Him. I was committing to the smaller commitment of a tiny box vs daunting pages and pages of a journal. Today I finished it. Every box filled, all 365 of them. As a result of starting this practice, I also filled 1 and 1/2 regular sized journals with prayers. I'm hooked! Because of the calendar journal I've been able to discover so much about my patterns, sin and emotional. Knowing your patterns leads to planning for times you know will be harder. Which results in a more consistent walk with Jesus, less self condemnation, being motivated to seek purity and holiness by Jesus' love for me and not being "motivated" by shame and "trying" not to sin because the Bible says not to. When we're motivated by Jesus' love, we want to sin less and less. Not just because we're not supposed to sin, but because we don't want to because of love! All that to say... If you want to feel closer to Jesus this year and wish you'd be more consistent, give this a try! Go buy a calendar right now."

Last January, in a final cry out to cope with the grief of losing my dad right before the holidays and going through the holidays without him, I told Jesus I'd spend time with Him every day for two weeks, but that I didn't believe that even He could make this better. Boy was I wrong. I am a OCD list-y type of person. I'm also an all or nothing type of person. I've attempted to journal many times before in my life, and always failed. Never consistent, no follow through. The daunting pages and pages of an empty journal both inspired and discouraged me. If I'd miss a day or a week, I'd want to go back and write for each one of those days, but know I couldn't, so I just didn't write at all. But, I also knew journaling had value. I knew especially now, if I was going to really give Jesus a chance, I needed to be able to write things down to see if He actually was changing things. I ran across a calendar journal idea on Pinterest. It was more complicated and beautiful than this, but I didn't have time for crafty things, it was a new year and I wanted to start asap because I knew myself well enough to know if I didn't start right then, I wouldn't. (The pinterest pin inspiration - http://www.pinterest.com/pin/79094537178172576/).

So basically, just go buy a journal! My first year I opted for a simple one. Notebook size for bigger squares, but no weekly schedule or days, each month took up two full size pages. This year I upgraded and am doing a monthly/weekly one. I'll hit one word highlights in the month squares, and then write a little more on big squares. This isn't your planner, it's just a journal! Sure, you can use it as a planner too, it's all up to you! It's about you and what helps and works for you. Many things added up together helped transform my time with Jesus and my way more consistent relationship with him, but this by far was the biggest.

I'll share what I do, but you can totally make it you and yours in any and every way possible! I like colors, so I write in a different color every day. I also get excited about a new month because I do a little monthly doodle at the top of each page that corresponds with the month's theme. I write the significant things of the day. Example: "Starbucks Jesus time. Good work day. DNA group. Good convo with Britt." Example: "Overslept. No Jesus time. Blah work. Sin struggles. Grief moment." Example: "Arise. Love my church. Nap. Worked out."  See, basic? I mean I fill up those squares, but it's not a huge recap of each day. It's hitting points and patterns I want to track and things I want to remember. I do miss days sometimes, at least one or two a week, but because of the format, it's easy to remember the highlights of those days. This has helped me understand so much about my patterns! I know I struggle more with grief and sin on the weekends when I'm not around as many people. I know I have a horrible attitude about things when I miss spending time with Jesus in the mornings. I know that on Wednesdays when I have free afternoons and don't make a plan for how I'll use that free afternoon that I struggle with sin. I also was able to figure out some significant patterns to talk to my girl doctor about and realized I should be on medicine.

And guess what else? The sense of consistency and accomplishment calendaring journaling gave me, lead me to start writing prayers down in a real journal too. Never in my 30 years of life have a I finished a journal. Last year I finished a calendar journal, all 365 squares, and filled 1 and 1/2 regular journals with prayers. My Jesus time pattern is as follows: find a place (usually a table at Starbucks, but sometimes home), acquire coffee, pull out journals, Bible, pens, and/or book(s) and organize them, put in ear phones and play worship playlist on shuffle, fill out calendar journal for day before (and any missed days), start new day, pray by writing in prayer journal prayers of forgiveness and focus, read God's word (usually along with She Reads Truth), pray for other things the Holy Spirit prompts.

So there you go, simple, nothing special, but life changing for me. If you are disappointed in your consistency and wish you spent more time with Jesus, give this a try.

Five Things Friday: Healthy Things

Some of the blogs I love (Cashmere & Cupcakes, Slender Kitchen, This Healthy Endeavor) do some version of Five Things Friday. I'm not committing to it, just trying it out this week and I had some relevant content! This week I give you the healthy things I'm loving! 

1. Bolthouse Farms Creamy Yogurt Salad Dressings -  I love salads, but salad dressings can be a calorie killer for something that should be healthy. Most brands do well with low-cal vinaigrette style dressings, but the creamy ones are normally mayo based and loaded with calories. These aren't! So far I've tried the Chunky Blue Cheese and the Caesar Parmesan and they are super yummy! New staple.

2. Avon Therapeutic Cracked Heel Relief Cream - Your eyes aren't deceiving you, those are my fingers and not my toes or feet and yes, this product is for feet. HOWEVER, if you ever find your fingers covered in as many hangnails as mine were this week, this stuff works! It's also good for your heels, but it is the only product that helped my damaged cuticles at all! I tried every hand cream, even an online suggestion of chap stick and this product healed it! (If you would like to buy this, or any Avon product and don't have someone you buy from, you can order from my Aunt's Avon page! It ships to you, not her. AND it's actually on sale right now!)

3. Williamette Valley Granola Company Granola Chips - These caught my eye in the grocery store and I had to try them. I was also hungry, and it's hard for me to say no to things that catch my eye while hungry in the grocery store. One day I'll learn that rule, you know the don't go to the grocery store when hungry rule. BUT, this is one impulse hunger grocery store buy I didn't regret! They are full of healthy things: oats, barely, quinoa, and more. I tried the Vanilla Bean flavor and they're great just by themselves or dipped in peanut butter! 

4. Calendar Journaling - This still fits my healthy theme! My whole life I've heard that journaling is healthy, helpful, a good thing to do, etc. I've tried a million times and failed a million times, never having consistency. I'm OCD, so I like the daily thing, but sometimes I lack words so I'd miss a day, then two, then a week, then a month and never finish. I happened upon this idea of calendar journaling on Pinterest. It intrigued me, so I made a New Years Resolution to try it out. I have successfully filled out every day of January and February (and the 1st day of March)! I missed some days here and there, but it was easy to go back and fill in the space. It's just a small box so the pressure is off to write huge paragraphs or pages. I hit highlights and have a symbol system. It has helped me SO much! I've been able to notice so many negative patterns and figure out the source of many struggles by doing this. This one act has been healthier for me than the six weeks of boot camp I've had so far! And guess what else? Doing this gave me a desire to write my prayers in a journal too. My times with Jesus have been completely transformed! If you've ever struggled with journaling, DO THIS! It helps track grief patterns and sin patterns. It reveals right before your eyes that the good days far out weight the bad, and that does tremendous work for my life and attitude just by itself. I can't talk this up enough. DO IT! Next year I'm going to go with one of the calendars that has lines for each day and not just boxes. Genius idea Pinterest! 

5. Manager's Special Labels - Kroger has these. I'm sure other grocery stores do as well, but for sure Kroger does. I've become obsessed with finding these, it's like a treasure hunt! When things are still on the shelf and about to expire, sometimes they'll mark them down at least to half price with these little labels. This week I got fresh rosemary for 99 cents! I also got this Asian Chopped Salad that is normally $3.50 for less then $2! I was able to eat the salad twice for lunches and I'm still finding ways to use up the rosemary! Also a little plug for fresh rosemary, IT'S SO MUCH BETTER THAN DRY! Dry rosemary, though tasty and fragrant, feels like pieces of pine straw in your mouth. Fresh rosemary is just so perfect and tender! Someone teach me to grow an herb garden?? 

What are you most excited about for this weekend?